Carolyn's Delaware and Chester County Blog

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Services for Real Estate Pros - Independent architectural histor'n - Delaware RS-0010115
Looking for older and historic homes in the State of Delaware or in Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania? Carolyn Roland is a trained Architectural Historian and a Board Member of the Chester County Historic Preservation Network and Friends of the Furness Railroad District as well as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Delaware and Chester County Historical Societies.,..
RECENT BLOG POSTS
After years of wondering what was hidden behind the civil war cannons south of Newark, Delaware, I finally got a spot on a tour of the Cooch's Bridge Historic Site.  The homestead and 10 acres were donated to  the State Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs a few years ago by the Cooch fami...
09/25/2022
A visit to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square  PA found big construction changes going on with the buildings, which will be interesting to follow on their website.But it also featured the restored orchid room, with it's ever popular flowers, and a light installation by Bruce Munro. We only had ti...
08/13/2022
A recent rainy day brought me  inside Winterthur Museum for what is called the "Closer Look" tour. It turns out that up to 5 people can take a look at whatever your guide (ours was Barbara) feels like showing you. That explains the eclectic assortment of rooms we visited. The photo above is eithe...
07/11/2022
Last night, Chester County PA brought the crowds out for the first Town Tour in 3 years. Traditionally opening the series in West Chester with remarks by local officials, this year's special guest was citizen-scientist and Ben Franklin friend, Humphry Marshall who is celebrating his 300th birthda...
06/10/2022
Many years (other than the last 3 years when the tour was not held) we worried about rain impacting this oldest house and garden tour. This year it was the heat in the upper 90's which wilted this tour-goer.  Our first garden was at the old RR station where we sat in the secret garden and looked ...
05/22/2022
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We went to Winterthur Museum and Gardens today especially to see the azaleas. They were still not at their peak, but oh how lovely they were.  And I got to see my special favorite at this time of year, the Dove or Handkerchief tree, whose flowers resemble white handkerchiefs blowing in the breeze...
05/05/2022
Yesterday I had a request from a buyer to see a property in a tiny town on the Delaware Bay.  Woodland Beach was known prior to 1878 for amusements and frolicking at the beach. Then a tidal wave knocked out 35 miles of waterfront towns.  Today, Woodland Beach is known for fishing and crabbing. On...
04/16/2022
Winterthur Museum and Gardens is using Mr. duPont's idea of directing visitors to the best views every day by posting arrows (one in shadow above).  The bluebells are gathered around below to welcome us.On my wandering yesterday, I noted that the windflowers (a type of anemone) were vying for att...
04/13/2022
It is not raining and the sun is out, so it was time to look around the garden and pull a few weeds today.  Then I caught sight of a garden worker shaking the pollen out of a hellebore--a big fat bee!  I had never thought about hellebores and bees before, but sure enough, he was hard at work!And ...
04/09/2022
The historic Penny House on the old King's Highway in Wilmington, Delaware is now in the hands of a new owner.This 1749 stone home was owned by the Penny brothers, who were cabinetmakers. It later became the home of Robert Shaw, a famous local artist. Then James Warner Bellah lived there (he wrot...
04/07/2022