Stonum, also called Stoneham, is a historic house at 900 Washington Avenue in

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Cast ...

. Its main section built about 1750, it was the country home of

George Read George Read may refer to: Soldiers * George C. Read (1788–1862), United States Navy admiral * George E. Read (1838–1910), American sailor and Medal of Honor recipient * George Windle Read (1860–1934), United States Army major general * George ...

(1733–1798), a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

. His advocacy enabled Delaware to become the first state ratifying the declaration. The house was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1973. It is the only building standing associated with this

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

Description and history

Stonum is located west of the downtown area of New Castle, at the northwest corner of Washington Street (

Delaware Route 9 Delaware Route 9 (DE 9) is a state highway that runs from Delaware Route 1, DE 1 near Dover Air Force Base in Kent County, Delaware, Kent County north to Delaware Route 2, DE 2 in the city of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmingt ...

) and 9th Street. It is set on small wooded lot, facing roughly toward 9th Street. It is a -story brick structure, with a gabled roof and chimneys built into the side walls. A two-story ell extends to the rear, which is probably of older age than the main block. The front facade is four bays wide, with the entrance in the center-right bay, and a single-story porch across the full width, supported by brick posts. The interior has an unusual center hall plan, with the main stairway set immediately to the right of the hall, in what is normally an intra-wall space between the hall and the right-side parlor. The interior has many original finishes, including elegant period fireplace mantels and cornice moulding, and original wooden floors. The oldest portion of the house, its kitchen ell, was built about 1730. The front portion of the house was added before 1769. A further addition was made in 1850, while a concrete block porch was added in the 1920s. The house once enjoyed an expansive view of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

, which is now obscured by mature plantings and intervening development. The house served as a tenant farm for George Read during the 1750s and 1760s; it is unclear if the main block was built during or prior to his period of ownership. It is the only surviving structure associated with Read, a prominent figure in Delaware politics through the Revolutionary period. His rented in-town house is only a few blocks away and burned in 1824, after Read had passed away and the building was being used as a bank. The location is now the site of the formal gardens attached to the George Read II House, built by his son. Read was an influential figure, contributing significantly to the drafting of Delaware's first state constitution in addition to his service in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

(where he signed the

United States Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continen ...

), as President of Delaware, and as a delegate to the

Philadelphia Convention The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. While the convention was initially intended to revise the league of states and devise the first system of federal government under the Articles of Conf ...

which drafted the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Delaware National Historic Landmarks in Delaware Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Houses in New Castle, Delaware Houses completed in 1750 Historic American Buildings Survey in Delaware National Register of Historic Places in New Castle County, Delaware Plantation houses in Delaware Homes of United States Founding Fathers

Description and history

See also

References

External links