Brandywine Hundred (Wilmington, DE)
By Carolyn Roland- In Delaware and S. Chester County PA, Carolyn Roland, GRI, CRS
(Independent architectural histor'n)
Walking around Bellevue State Park this weekend, one could see evidence that families were trying to get their children, from infants on up, out in the fresh air. I got the feeling that a lot of the visitors who crowded the parking lot were unfamiliar with this State park. Some held maps of the trails as they walked, and most of them stayed in the area around the pond. As usual, I took my favorite path around the back of the round barn, past the clay tennis courts, and through the woods. I only ran into a couple of people back there in the woods, and it was very peaceful--just as I had hoped.  There were signs to activity to come, as the Bellevue Mansion grounds have turned into a popular wedding destination. A custom tent that looked quite permanent had been built, and workers were pre...
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By Carolyn Roland- In Delaware and S. Chester County PA, Carolyn Roland, GRI, CRS
(Independent architectural histor'n)
It's always nice to see how the gardeners are doing at the plots in Bellevue State Park, and yesterday was a particularly nice day to walk through the woods and meadows on the way to see how these "worker bees" are doing.  In the woods, I found this overturned tree displaying what is probably the reason the wind knocked this tree over.  And, since it had rained for the last couple of days, the woods appeared in duplicate in a puddle.  Arriving at the around 300 garden plots that Bellevue State Park rents out, I found one man tending to his well-kept plot. He said he brings in new soil each year, and that it has been so windy that this year's flags that decorate his fencing had already begun to tatter. Being a fan of flamingos, I complimented him on his pink beauty!  This gentleman said ...
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By Carolyn Roland- In Delaware and S. Chester County PA, Carolyn Roland, GRI, CRS
(Independent architectural histor'n)
Yes, I live in the well-populated area of Brandywine Hundred outside of the City of Wilmington, Delaware. But it is an area which honors its history. Highland Farms, an organic market, is just down the road from me and across the street from Brandywine High School.  How did the Webster family farm manage to survive amid suburbia? The story is that Clark Webster purchased the land in 1832, and as was common at the time, the deed was written on deerskin.  At that time it was mostly rocky pasture.  In 1835, Clark's son, Isaac, began clearing the land and planting crops. John Webster gave the farm the name Highland Orchards, officially, when he was registering his Guernsey milking herd in 1940. His daughter, Ruth Linton, and her family still own and manage the farm and market store. They gr...
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By Carolyn Roland- In Delaware and S. Chester County PA, Carolyn Roland, GRI, CRS
(Independent architectural histor'n)
Today I visited Bellevue State Park in North Wilmington. The crowd in the main parking lot drove me to park near the tennis courts (they are waiving entrance fees at present).  On over 28 acres of land, this former duPont estate and 1830 Mt. Pleasant School building were given to the State in 1976.It has become a favorite place for the walking track, a pond for fishing (toss back), garden plots, summer concerts, horse training facility, and you can rent the mansion for events.   Since there were a lot of people spread out and families with kids and bikes, it wasn't too hard to keep the 6' safe area around as I walked on the trails. It was just a little chilly (below 60 degrees) but sunny, so a perfect day.  A fisherman told me that the previous Saturday was even more crowded. And there ...
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By Carolyn Roland- In Delaware and S. Chester County PA, Carolyn Roland, GRI, CRS
(Independent architectural histor'n)
A new "organic" grocery store, "Sprouts," has opened this week in North Wilmington (or Brandywine Hundred, the historic name). Since we really don't have a lot of sources of entertainment after all the museums and theaters have closed, they had a good number of people yesterday. The other end of the parking lot at Concord Mall with its retail stores, looked almost deserted, compared to the food market (formerly a Barnes and Noble book store). So what is different?  The specials that were advertised, such as Sockeye Salmon and avocados, looked good (actually the salmon also tasted great). The pre-sliced cheese was twice the price of the nearby farmer's market. Good news: They gave me $.05 for using my own tote bag, and they printed the receipt on both sides of the tape (so it was not a f...
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By Carolyn Roland- In Delaware and S. Chester County PA, Carolyn Roland, GRI, CRS
(Independent architectural histor'n)
There is a house in the Wilmington, Delaware area that would win a Christmas decorating contest every year--except there is no contest.For over 30 years, the Smith family on Prior Rd. has been mounting a display with over 700,000 lights that can be seen by traffic on nearby Interstate 95. Two years ago, Thomas Smith passed away, but his wife and family have continued the tradition in his memory. The house next door to them has also joined the celebration by putting up a slightly smaller in scale display one can see by walking down Prior Rd.I go every Christmas Eve after attending the Candlelight Christmas Eve service at my church, and there is always a steady stream of cars. This year,  some young men were directing each other to pose for pictures, using a language I could not recognize...
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By Carolyn Roland- In Delaware and S. Chester County PA, Carolyn Roland, GRI, CRS
(Independent architectural histor'n)
THE LATEST NEWS FROM BRANDYWINE HUNDRED It's a sunny morning, so why not use my apple coupon to go to Marini's Market on Veale Rd. in Brandywine Hundred (Colonial name) or North Wilmington (modern name).Not only did I find my Gala apples, but the Marini family seems to have gone all out or somebody took a marketing course and learned how to create a great fall display of mums and pumpkins!It goes to show that you can always learn something new about how to market your business. I hope it works for the Marinis and that their pet pig enjoys being next to all that color (can pigs even see color?). Norman the pig picture from a couple of weeks ago before the pumpkin blitz.  Want to learn about homes in Brandywine Hundred? Contact Carolyn Roland.
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