Read House and Garden facts for kids
|
George Read II House & Gardens
|
|
|
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
|
1970 photo
|
|
 Location in Delaware
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 42 The Strand, New Castle, Delaware |
|---|---|
| Area | 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) |
| Built | 1793 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Part of | New Castle Historic District (ID67000003) |
| NRHP reference No. | 100000872 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | December 23, 2016 |
| Designated NHL | December 23, 2016 |
| Designated NHLDCP | December 24, 1967 |
The Read House & Gardens is a special historic house in New Castle, Delaware. It's located right on The Strand, a street facing the Delaware River. This amazing house was built between 1797 and 1804 for George Read, Jr.. At the time, it was the biggest and fanciest home in Delaware. It's a great example of the "Federal style" of architecture from that period.
Next to the house are beautiful formal gardens. These gardens were first designed in the late 1840s by William Couper, who was the third owner of the house. Because of its history and beauty, the property became a National Historic Landmark in 2016. It's also part of the larger New Castle Historic District. Today, the Delaware Historical Society owns and runs the Read House as a museum. You can visit it to learn about its past!
Contents
Exploring the Read House
The Read House stands proudly in the middle of downtown New Castle. It looks out over the Delaware River. You can even see part of George Read's old wharf from the house. The house itself is a large, two-and-a-half-story brick building. It has a special roof with a flat top and a small fence around it.
There are four chimneys, two on each side of the house. The front of the house has five windows across. The main door is in the center. It has small windows on the sides and a big, round window above it. On the second floor, right above the main door, there's a fancy "Palladian window." This type of window has three parts, with a tall arch in the middle. The house is very big, with more than 14,000 square feet (1,300 m2) of space!
Who Built the House?
The Read House was built for George Read Jr. His father, also named George Read, was a very important person in Delaware. He was one of the people who signed the United States Declaration of Independence. George Read Jr. followed in his father's footsteps. He was a successful lawyer and businessman. He had enough money to build this huge house. It was the largest private home in Delaware at that time.
The house's style is called "Federal period architecture." This style was popular in the early days of the United States. It was inspired by other fancy houses built in Philadelphia a few years earlier.
The Beautiful Gardens
After George Read Jr. passed away in 1836, the house was rented for a short time. John M. Clayton, another important person from Delaware, lived there. He was waiting for his new home to be finished.
The second owner was William Couper. He was a rich businessman who had grown up right next door. Sadly, the houses next to the Read House, including William Couper's childhood home, were destroyed in a big fire in 1824. This fire created an open space next to the Read House. William Couper decided to use this space to create a beautiful formal garden. He started planning it in 1846.
The garden's main design still follows Couper's original ideas. It has brick paths that wind through the flower beds. There are also two small, open buildings called gazebos. The Delaware Historical Society placed these gazebos where old photos showed similar structures.
The House's Journey Through Time
William Couper never married. He lived in the house with several family members. After he died, his family continued to live there. The last family member, his niece Hettie Smith, passed away in 1919.
Then, Philip and Lydia Laird bought the house. They were very interested in saving historic buildings in New Castle. They worked hard to keep the house looking just as it did in the past. Lydia Laird loved the property so much that she left it to the Delaware Historical Society when she died in 1975.
Since then, the Society has carefully restored the house. They want it to look like it did when the Read family lived there. However, some rooms also show how later owners decorated them. The Read House is open to visitors most of the year. It's a great place to learn about Delaware's history!
