June 2015 Historic Homes E-Newsletter  You might be interested in the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Conference June 5 and 6, 2015 in Cambridge MD.  Register at link above. Chesapeake College is in Cambridge MD at 524 Race St. 410-228-1064. Workshops, Speakers, and Networking follow Harriet’s Walk to Freedom. (The picture was taken recently at the Underground RR Symposium at the London Grove PA Friends Meetinghouse.)  The Hale-Byrnes House 606 Stanton-Christiana Rd., Newark, DE  is open on the first Wednesday in June, noon - 3:00 p.m. Well-behaved children always welcomed. Free but donations are encouraged. Also at Hale-Byrnes Sat. June 13, 2015 7:30PM - 9:30PM the American Revolution Round Table of Northern Delaware invites the public to attend "Give Me a Fast Ship: Early Days of ... 05/31/2015

Delaware Junk Removal The Estate Clean Out Experts Fast Low Cost Delaware Junk Removal  will remove anything from a single item to a whole home full of its contents. Every year hundreds of happy clients choose Delaware Junk Removal for help with estate clean outs or moving clean outs.We love the difficult and dirty jobs!   We remove anything from anywhere! 05/30/2015

 Tuned IN Block Parties kick off this Thursday, May 28th on the 200 block of N. Market Street. The monthly series, taking place on the 4th Thursday of the month from 5pm-8pm, will travel around Wilmington and is designed to showcase the variety of offerings in and around town, which each installment being carried by a different theme offering live music, performances, artists, vendors, food trucks, bar area, etc... Next week’s headliners are Musikarmageddon winner’s Minshara, touring TN “punk grass” duo Grace & Tony, recent Musikarmageddon solo winner Tommy Murray and Ladybug Festival artist Lauren Kuhne. Jupiter Records will also be spinning vinyl between sets and The Music School of Delaware will have several performances from various groups inside Studio on Market. The Brunch Box and... 05/26/2015

I visited the Wilmington Flower Market yesterday and it took a minute to figure out why Rockford Park looked different.  Oh, it was SUNNY!  The ground was DRY! So many times in the past this has been a soggy “wear your wellies” experience.  Held in Rockford Park in the shadow of the old stone water tower the weekend of Mother’s Day, the money raised goes to a wide range of charities throughout the state of Delaware supporting children. I got my tomato plants, got to choose from all kinds of veggie plants and flowers, and I found an artisan made bottle tree (which I had been on the lookout for). Now I need to find some more bottles. The last resort will be to go to a website catering to those needing colored bottles to decorate their trees. Southern legend says that slaves liked to put t... 05/08/2015

The 10 Most Beautiful Towns in Delaware Despite being the second smallest state in the nation, Delaware certainly packs in a lot. A website called the Culture Trip took in some of the First State’s most beautiful places from beachside havens and river towns to historic hamlets  and came up with their "Top Ten." They include: Lewes, Milton, Smyrna, Odessa, Rehoboth Beach, Old New Castle, Georgetown, Delaware City, Millsboro, and Bethany Beach. They do have some gorgeous pictures included, but I have to say, they did not give due credit to the northernmost city, Wilmington! (View of Wilmington Riverfront from Nature Center).   Wilmington, Delaware is a great city and you need to talk to Carolyn Roland, Your Older Homes Resource, for more information. 05/04/2015

04/27/2015

First I was waiting for a sign of anything green popping up in my garden. It seemed to be a battle between the cold weather and bulbs and perennials hiding out and waiting until they could shed their winter coats and come out into the sunshine. Then the crocuses appeared and held their faces to the sun (Yay for the tiny bulbs!). Then it was the daffodils, followed by the grape hyacinths (which are usually the first to arrive). The tulips looked around and said, “Hey, I can do better than you guys” and popped their reds, yellows, and purples. Meanwhile, the perennials started to pop up, with the poppy foliage leading the way. Not wanting to be a party pooper, I prayed for the rain to stop so that the painter could paint my arbor. After maybe 10 years of being weathered cedar, I had gott... 04/26/2015

April has been playing “April Fool” with the weather in our area, and my bulbs and hellebores have responded by playing “Hide and Seek. The good news is that they are starting to come out of their hiding places, albeit on an irregular basis, with the earliest (usually) grape hyacinths coming out after the daffodils.  I know it's just Mother Nature having her little game, but all I care is that my flowers show up sooner or later, like a bunch of little trains that are behind schedule.Speaking of older and historic homes (you were, weren’t you?) contact Carolyn Roland, Your Older and Historic Homes Resource if you want to find out more about buying and selling older homes in Delaware and Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. 04/17/2015

Fabulous Farm House Overview Maps Photos Features Description Open House $320,000 Single Family Home Main Features 5 Bedrooms2 Bathrooms1 Half BathroomInterior: 2,100 sqftLot: 1.38 acre(s)Year Built: 1800 Location 106 Washington AvenueWilmington, DE 19808USA Christopher Pataki RE/MAX Associates(302) 562-0628patakirealestate@yahoo.comhttp://come2DE.com    Listed by: Re/Max Associates Our recent listings  Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby  properties for sale 04/09/2015

My Easter traditions include making bread, and my favorite is Hoska, the Czechoslovakian bread we could buy at the neighborhood bakery where I lived in Chicago as a child. I had never thought about finding a recipe for it, but when I got my Kitchenaid mixer a few years back, I bought Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, and there was my Hoska recipe. The braids are tricky (there are 3 layers of them on top of one another) and they sometimes slip, but that's the fun in it--trying to make sure they stay on top of one another. The smell of the freshly baked bread is drifting up to my computer and I'm not sure how much longer I can resist! The other good news today is that the crocuses in my front yard have finally opened. It's about time, with all the snow we had on the first day... 04/04/2015

03/28/2015

Councilman Bob Weiner invites you to join him for our Tally Day Bark Park Maintenance Day   On behalf all New Castle County citizens and Talley Day County bark park users, Councilman Robert Weiner invites you to volunteer at the Talley Day County Bark Park Citizens Maintenance Day on Friday, March 27, 2015 at 10 am.  The semiannual event is always scheduled on a Brandywine School District “in service day” so students, boy scouts, girl scouts and school service groups can participate and earn community service hours. “As in every year, I look forward to meeting all of you at our beloved dog park” says Council Weiner.   The citizen tasks include spreading mulch at both the small and large bark park areas. Please encourage volunteers to bring their own rakes and shovels as there is always... 03/20/2015

The Philadelphia Flower Show was my goal earlier this week, but a giant snow storm cancelled my trip by train with the Delaware Center for Horticulture. But, no worry, we did it yesterday and saw “Celebrate the Movies,” this year’s theme for the world's longest running and largest indoor flower show. (entrance) Yes, it was a bit “princess-y” and appealed to the kiddies with Cinderella and Frozen references (think Rose Bowl Parade with everything made from plants and flowers). But for the gardening crowd, there is always the “Horticourt,” with plants ranging from giant philodendrons to tiny orchids, lovingly nurtured by individuals who present their plants for judging by experts, hoping to win a blue ribbon.(Frozen sisters tea party and blue ribbon orchid plant) I gave it 3 1/2 stars out... 03/07/2015

Bellevue State Park in the wintertime is not a place I often visit. And with new rates going into effect March 1, I'll have to think about it.   Anyway, I had never seen the pond frozen over, so I decided to drop by this morning and trudge through the snow to see what was happening. There were only a few cars there, and in the distance where they had cleared a place in the snow for skating, I could see a mom and dad with a child in a sled on the ice.   This former duPont estate's pond is stocked in the summer, which I don't understand (not being a fisherman) since it's catch and release. There's a running track, the old mansion, clay courts, trails, playgrounds, a picnic pavilion, and equestrian facilities.   Need to know more about New Castle County Delaware Homes for sale? Contact Car... 02/21/2015

It feels like -5° and the wind is gusting to 38 mph.  Sound like a nice day to go outside?  No Way for this chicken!   Time to read the Sunday papers (I get 2 of them), catch up on emails, polish those old brass candlesticks, and keep checking out the window to make sure I really don't have to shovel snow again (looks like less than an inch).   I can also look for animal tracks in the snow from the comfort of my warm dining room window, but it looks like they are hibernating today, even the fox I saw out on Silverside Rd. yesterday. Good idea fox!                          Looking for  homes for sale in Brandywine Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware?  Contact Carolyn Roland  02/15/2015

Artistic inspiration stems from the world around us. From observing creative work to exploring new sightseeing adventures, there is always something new to stir the imagination. Between culture, the arts and nature, the Northeast inspires artists with a fresh perspective and captivating sights to see. We were excited that Printaholic.com chose Wilmington, Delaware as one of the 10 most inspiring cities for artists in the Northeast. (left-Annual Brandywine Arts Festival) I can think of so many Art Advantages in Wilmington: The Delaware Art Museum              (right) First Friday Art Loop  All the galleries presenting art (30 locations in February 2015) on the Loop Delaware College of Art and Design New Castle County Art Classes The Film Fringe Festival and Visual Fringe Festival        ... 02/02/2015

  February 2015 Historic Homes E-Newsletter Join the New Castle Delaware Historical Society for their Wintery Wednesdays Lecture Series: February 4, "The Story of the Delaware Continentals" speaker: Chris Mlynarczyk, President, 1st Delaware Regiment. February 18, "Seized in September: Revolutionary War Comes to Delaware" speaker: Kim Burdick, Delaware Historian. February 25, NCHS Annual Meeting, "Setting the Record Straight: Dispelling New Castle's Historical Myths" (can't wait to hear this, since I once was a guide in Old New Castle) speakers: Mike Connolly, NCHS Executive Director and Brian Cannon, Local Historian (other speakers TBA) All programs to be held at 7 p.m. at The Arsenal, 30 Market Street, New Castle, and are free to the public.     The Lewes, Delaware Public Library will ... 02/01/2015

The New Castle County, Delaware end of year real estate activity report for 2014 is now available. As usual, we have good news and bad news. The good news: median sales prices were up 3.5% and average days on the market were down 6.8%   The bad news: the number of closed sales was down 4.5% I am finding that sellers do not believe all this. Many of them are insisting they can get an unrealistic price. And as much as we say, “Location, Location,” they think we are talking about somebody else’s location. So listen up--if you have a home in gorgeous condition in a hot neighborhood, you can beat the odds. But don’t fool yourself. Buyers are watching HGTV and DIY networks. They hear prospective buyers on TV saying a home is gross if it doesn’t have stainless steel appliances. Sometimes I wan... 01/26/2015

Worried about historic buildings being demolished in New Castle County" ? Attend a meeting entitled "What to do when that big yellow sign goes up" to be held at the at the new Claymont Delaware Public Library (off of Darley Rd. and Philadelphia Pike at 400 Lenape Way) sponsored by the Civic Assn. of Brandywine Hundred (CCOBH) Tuesday,  January 27, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.   I haven't seen this new library yet, and I haven't heard any good ideas about how to get our County Council to enact an ordinance against demolition by neglect, so this is a really significant event. The CCOBH has voluntarily taken over enforcing a deed restriction against destruction of the historic stone home next to the Brandywine YMCA on Mt. Lebanon Rd. It was originally sold to a family by the Woodlawn Trustees with th... 01/19/2015

January 2015 Historic Homes E-Newsletter   On Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 The State of Delaware presents “Delaware’s Heroes of the Forgotten War,” guided tours exploring how three of Delaware’s military figures—Commodore Thomas MacDonough (right), Col. Allen McLane and Commodore Jacob Jones—helped keep the young country safe during the War of 1812, and how a Delaware statesman, James A. Bayard Sr., helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent which ended the conflict. Tours will take place between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at The Old State House, located at 25 The Green in Dover. Also at the State House on Jan. 3, “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Interactive children’s program focuses on Delaware’s involvement in the Underground Railroad and its many heroes who helped slaves escape to freedom. Program at 11... 12/30/2014