Bassett (Richard) House, Delaware >

Kent County, 438 State Street, Dover.

In 1804, while retired, Richard Bassett acquired this house at a foreclosure sale, and 5 years later purchased an adjoining lot. He owned both until a few months before his death in 1815. There is no conclusive evidence, however, that he ever lived in the residence and he may have rented it out. The wing, however, which an earlier owner had used as a shop, possibly served as his law office. The structure is the only extant one closely associated with Bassett.

The gable-roofed, brick house, which probably dates from the early 18th century, is in good condition. It consists of a two-story, four-bay main section and a step-down, 12-story, three-bay wing on the north along the same axis. The one-bay, wooden front porch, which is supported by four Doric columns, has a flat roof and dentiled cornice. Vergeboards, along the ends of both roofs, probably date from the Gothic Revival. Shutters are paneled on the first floor and louvered on the second. A rectangular transom tops the paneled front door of the wing. A one-story, screened porch, covered with a shed-type roof, projects from the rear of the wing.

dormers and a glass-paneled lookout. A brick interior chimney rises from the ridge. Quoins mark the corners of the Broom wing, and paneled shutters flank the windows.

During the 19th century, a large wing was attached on the north side and ornate embellishments were superimposed on the dormers of the original section. Subsequently, the addition and the adornments were removed and the present substantial wing, designed to harmonize with the simple earlier structure, was erected on the south.

The house serves as a private residence and is not open to the public.

Dickinson (John) Mansion, Delaware A

Kent County, on Kitts Hummock Road, about 3 blocks southeast of U.S. 113, some 5 miles southeast of Dover.

This early Georgian residence, sometimes called Kingston-uponHull, was the home of John Dickinson during his boyhood and most of the period from late 1776, when he moved his family there because the British threatened Philadelphia, until 1782. During these years, he suffered temporary political disfavor because of his opposition to the Declaration of Independence.

The mansion was erected in 1739-40 by his father, Judge Samuel Dickinson, on a 1,300-acre plantation he had purchased. He moved his family there from Crosiadore estate in Maryland when young Dickinson was about 8 years old. He lived in the new home for about a decade, and then at the age of 18 departed to study law at Philadelphia, though in later years he again resided in it.

The original hip-roofed, five-bay structure rose three full stories over a high basement. To conserve heat, the north side had only three windows. Later, two stepped-down wings were erected on the west side. Both featured shed-type dormers and were 11⁄2 stories in height. The first was added in 1752; and the second, a smaller one, fronted by a brick-columned porch, 2 years later.

In 1804-6, following a fire that ravaged the mansion, John Dickinson rebuilt it. He reduced the main house to its present two stories and replaced the hip roof with the existing gable type. Because of the intended use of the building by tenants, the fine

interior woodwork and paneling were replaced with simpler materials.

The mansion, which faces to the south, is in excellent condition. Parts of it are constructed in Flemish, English, and commonbonded brick with black, glazed headers. The east wall has been plastered over, and portions of the walls of the three units have been whitewashed. The unusually tall first-floor windows of the main house reflect the original three-story height. Most of the windows are shuttered and topped by flat arches. The cornice is dentiled.

To the east of the wide center hall is the parlor; to the west, two smaller rooms, each equipped with an angle fireplace. The upstairs room pattern in the main house is basically the same. The larger wing contains a dining room on the first floor and a bedroom above; the smaller, a kitchen under what were once quarters for household slaves. The cellar under the main house and adjacent wing originally consisted of a large storage room, wine cellar, and scullery-kitchen.

In 1952 the State of Delaware, aided by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, acquired the house and grounds. Before the decade ended, using State funds and private gifts, the

mansion was restored to its 1806 appearance and landscaped. Some of the furnishings were once owned by the Dickinson family. The Delaware State Museum administers the site.

Lombardy Hall, Delaware A

New Castle County, on the east side of U.S. 202 (Concord Pike), just north of Blueball and the junction of Del. 261 (Foulk Road), about 1 mile from the northern edge of Wilmington.

Gunning Bedford, Jr., resided periodically at Lombardy Hall, a 250-acre estate, from 1793 until his death there in 1812. He frequently entertained guests at the plain Georgian residence, and operated a model farm on his holdings.

Lombardy Hall occupies part of what was once known as the Manor of the Rocklands, a 986-acre tract William Penn had granted in 1682 to Valentine Hollingsworth, who renamed it New Wark. In 1726 George Robinson, Hollingsworth's son-in-law, purchased 250 acres of this land and named it Pizgah (Pisgah). In 1785 Bedford acquired the estate from Charles Robinson, a greatgrandson of the original grantee; and 8 years later, when he obtained clear title, redesignated it as Lombardy Hall. Upon his death, his widow, Jane, continued to live there until 1817 and rented it out until her death in 1831, after which it stayed in the family's hands for many years.

By 1750 George Robinson had constructed a small farmhouse of gray-black Brandywine gabbro and fieldstone that now constitutes the north section of the present residence. The two-story dwelling contained two rooms on each floor. The main entrance, hall, and stairway were apparently on the south side of the building. Windows were recessed at right angles in the 18-inch thick walls.

Bedford attached a new wing to the south wall of the structure. This created a symmetrical five-bay facade, whose center front entrance faced west. He also rebuilt the attic and roof of the earlier, or Robinson, section to conform with his gable-roofed, 21⁄2story addition. Although the gabbro of the older structure was skillfully matched in the facade of the Bedford addition, a slim vertical line of mortar on the facade and east wall still outlines the location of the original south wall. The gabbro was extended a