Carolyn Roland-Your Delaware and Chester County Historic Homes Specialist

This is a heads up to anyone interested in finding out how historic home owners in Delaware can qualify for tax credits for work on their historic house.

There will be a workshop June 11 at 7 PM at the Middletown DE town council chambers at 19 West Green St. It will be led by Joan Larrivee of the Division of Historical and Culturan Affairs in Dover.

Enacted in 2001, this program assists in preserving and rehabilitating historic buildings throughout the State by providing tax credit equal to a percentage of the cost of the rehabilitation, subject to certain requirements. Since its inception, the program has generated over $480 million in private investment to rehabilitate over 25 historic buildings. (Below) The Historic Hawthorne Farmhouse in Brandywide Hundred, currently a pending sale, after a week on the market with Carolyn Roland.

Also known as the Robinson House, this building was built in 1723 on the site of the 1624 Naaman's Creek settlement in what is now known as Claymont Delaware. It is located near the Pennsylvania border and the shores of the Delaware River, on Route 13, once known as the King's Highway. The only original building from the early settlement is the Block House, a fortress-like structure on the northeast corner of the property.

On the National Register of Historic Places, the Robinson House was used as a The Naaman's Tea House in the early 20th Century. It was furnished by volunteers, and is open periodically for special events.

On May 4, Vice President Biden, our 2 US Senators and 1 Representative (that is the total for the state of Delaware) along with local officials kicked off the $32 million renovation of the Wilmington Delaware Amtrak Station.

As a member of the steering committee for the Friends of the Furness RR District (a group promoting education about the Frank Furness designed 100 year old train station and its 2 companion buildings), I was invited to join the TV cameras and officials to hear the Vice President speak, and later shook hands with him. It was worth going through the magnetometer search!

The day might have been gray, but inside Longwood Gardens outside of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the sun was shining.

Orchids were everywhere in the conservataories, in large containers on the ground, growing in floor displays, hanging above, covering a wall. It was a great day to wander amid the brightly colored Cinerarea and Phalaenopsis fighting for attention in the conservatory. A special treat was hearing Irish musician Tommy Sands and his son and daughter singing, playing guitar, banjo, fiddle, and penny whistle, as well as the daughter doing a little clogging.

Just one more reason that this southeast corner of Chester County Pennsylvania and northern part of New Castle County Delaware is a great place to live!

It happens maybe once a year--I get my summer schedule mixed up with the rest of the year and get to church an hour early. But since this usually happens in the summer, I know what to do. Go down to Brandywine Park! It's only a few blocks away, and it's a peaceful place to watch the Brandywine Creek rush by, with flocks of Canada Geese visiting, and even an occasional Labrador Retriever fetching whatever his owner threw in the water for him to retrieve.

This Sunday was also a good time to take a peek at the Brandywine Zoo, which suffered a lot of storm damage from enormous trees crashing into its animal enclosures last week. Apparently all the animals are safe, but a lot of damage was done. I could see one very large tree on the ground while the llamas peered through the fence (probably wondering what the heck that tree was doing laying down on the job).

But I am sure things will be looking up by September 6 and 7, when the annual Brandywine Arts Festival is held on the banks where I stood to take these pictures. (Yes, the second one is a reflection, not trees growing upside down.) There will be about 200 arts and crafters, plus lots of food, all around the "Josephine Fountain" in the park. Come and join the fun!!