When the John Houghton House was built near Old Lancaster Pike, the automobiles that speed by it today hadn’t even been imagined.
So seeing the 200-year-old home while on a bicycle might be considered a more historically accurate way to view the gray, stone building.
That was the idea Carol Ireland had when she started to plan a series of Sunday afternoon bike trips that take riders past historic places in and around Hockessin.
“Because bikers are moving at a slower pace, we have a chance to really see things,” she said.
She has held rides through Hockessin for two years, she said, but this marks the first time the trips have had a historical theme.
Ireland, an avid rider with the While Clay Bicycle Club, had her own interest in history piqued while on a bicycle. She was riding around Hockessin and started reading the road signs she passed, contemplating the historical significance of names like Nine Gates Road.
So she dug up a few volumes on the history of Hockessin and began mapping out historic sites that a group could get to on bicycles. Her list includes spots like the John Garrett House, which was built in 1760 and overlooks the shuttered NVF plant, though riding along Benge Road to that house could be challenging.
“To get to some of the more interesting things, we have to go on roads with no shoulders,” she said.
For the first ride, held on Aug. 1, Ireland, of Hockessin, kept it simple, visiting a few spots within a nine-mile ride and steering clear of challenging hills.
She has three more rides planned – each on a Sunday in August – and said that she’ll tailor the ride to the participants who come out. If people want to try tough hills, like the climb to the Hockessin Friends Meeting House, she’s willing to take them, she said.
For Pike Creek resident Neil Smith, the ride was a chance to take his son, Justin, on a not-too-challenging tour that will hopefully teach them both about Hockessin.
“It’s always good to learn a little bit about the history of where you live,” Smith said.
And bicycling is a nice way to see points of interest, especially if the weather holds up and traffic isn’t too bad, said Dale Bostic, of Newark.
Pedaling in the Piedmont can be challenging because of all the different types of terrain, she said, but the rolling hills, while difficult to climb, can also create some great scenic views.
