Aspendale (Kenton)

Aspendale is a historic house and plantation property on Delaware Route 300 west of Kenton, Kent County, Delaware, United States. The main house, built 1771–73, has been under a single family's ownership since construction and is a rare, well-preserved example of a Georgian "Quaker plan" house. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.^[2][3]

Aspendale
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Aspendale, HABS Photo, 1982
Show map of Delaware Show map of the United States
Location	1 mile (1.6 km) west of Kenton, Delaware on Delaware Route 300
Coordinates	39°13′18″N 75°41′9″W
Area	210 acres (85 ha)
Built	1771–1773
Architectural style	Georgian
NRHP reference No.	70000170
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 15, 1970[1]
Designated NHL	April 15, 1970[2]

Description and history

Aspendale is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Kenton, on the north side of Delaware Route 300. The property is over 200 acres (81 ha) in size, consisting of fields and woodlands roughly bisected by the road. The main house is set near the road, surrounded by landscaping. It is a modest 2+1⁄2-story brick structure with a gabled roof and end chimneys joined by curtain walls. A single-story gable-roofed wood-frame addition extends to one side. The front and rear of the main block consist of brick laid in a Flemish bond, while the ends are laid in a common bond. The main facade is three bays wide, with a symmetrical arrangement of sash windows around a center entrance. In a traditional Delaware pattern, the ground-floor windows have paneled shutters, while the upper-level windows have louvered shutters. The interior has a rare example of a "Quaker plan", with a sizeable front-to-back parlor on the east side and a study and living room separated by a hall on the west side. These rooms all exhibit original woodwork and other features.^[3]

The land on which the house stands was deeded in 1770 to Charles Numbers and was (as of its landmark designation in 1970) still in the hands of Numbers' descendants. The house was built between 1771 and 1773. The large parlor was subdivided with partitions in the 19th century, and a Victorian porch was added; both elements were reversed during a restoration of the property in the 1960s.^[3]

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in Delaware
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kent County, Delaware

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. "Aspendale". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
3. Patricia Heintzelman and Charles Snell (August 30, 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Aspendale" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 5 photos, exterior, 1974 and undated (1.60 MB)

External links

• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. DE-143, "Aspendale, Route 300 (Downs Chapel), Kenton, Kent County, DE", 27 photos, 2 color transparencies, 11 measured drawings, 17 data pages, 3 photo caption pages, supplemental material