Delaware Preservationists Aghast At Destruction of Murphy House

Once considered eligible for the Natiional Register of Historic Places, Brandywine Hundred's Murphy House was demolished yesterday. The Nemours Foundation, owners of the children's hospital across the road, had agreed to restore the Murphy House . Those who fought to preserve the build­ing said they felt double-crossed by the state it trusted to enforce deed restrictions im­posed in 2008 when it sold the acre at 1601 Rockland Road to Nemours for $10 and a promise to preserve the farmhouse.

A deed restriction on the property was recently lifted by the State, and although Delaware Greenways proposed using the house as a trailhead for a bike program, the Nemours Foundation chose to take advantage of the lifting of restrictions and turn a deaf ear to the Greenways proposal. An earlier offer by Nemours to contribute $50,000 towards moving the house found no takers, to no one's surprise. Nemours had paid $10 for the house originally as part of a package to create parkland and trails in the area to satisfy nearby Astra Zeneca, a large pharmaceutical company when they were looking for a facility to expand their business.

So as local preservationist James Hanby, Sr., has noted, "The Murphy House represents the 99%, it is the story of the rest of us--a small family home... The Nemours Mansion (across the road and on the grounds of the children's hospital) clearly represents the 1%-- the home base of a titan of industry and the center of an empire that spanned thousands of acres of land both here and in Florida. The difference is this, A.I. DuPont cared about the common man, he understood that with his great wealth came with great responsibility. Here is a man who wrote personal checks to many senior folks on a monthly basis who were retired and had nothing in the days before Social Security. This and many other like actions tell me that Mr. DuPont was a man of honor who would have seen the importance of saving and restoring this humble farm house as much or more then he would have consented to spend $38,000,000 restoring his home. Especially if he had gotten it based on agreeing to restore it. His word was his bond. He believed in the people who worked for him and how they lived meant something to him. He could have very clearly removed this house from it's place near his mansion grounds had he thought it had no purpose or importance."

Thanks to Mr. Hanby for these photos.