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Take in the vista from the front porch of the Bellevue State Park's Cauffiel House and there's little doubt why it's known as the "Last River House."
Perched upon a prized homestead, yet tucked among trees at the northern end of the park, the three-story Colonial Revival-style home sits unassumingly. It was built by Daniel Cauffiel in 1929 as a retreat home after all, so it's by design that it doesn't beckon visitors the way the larger Bellevue Hall might.
That's why Facilities Superintendent Judi Jeffers and the State Parks staff are opening the doors to the home next Sunday, Jan. 31, to offer the curious a walk through it's halls.
"There are a lot of people who just have an interest in history and have seen the house and always wondered what's inside," Jeffers said. "We're going to show them."
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Take the Tour The Cauffiel House
Delaware State Parks owns a number of historic buildings that, like the Cauffiel House, are ideal for special events. They include: Auburn Heights - Yorklyn *To book events, e-mail: destateparks_events@state.de.us or call 302-761-6952 |
Inside, Jeffers proudly shows off an impeccably maintained home that's design as an intimate social destination has lived on through the structure's new role as an events center.
"People come and say 'wow, I'd love to have a party here, can I do it?" Jeffers says. "And the answer is 'yes, you can.'"
Many of the home's small details, so important to Cauffiel during its construction, remain - from the woodwork on the walls and stair banister, to the baseboards and wainscoting throughout.
"It's still the Georgian-Gothic revival house he wanted," she said. "Those little details, those were the things that were important to him."
Cauffiel moved his family from Johnstown, Pa., to downtown Wilmington, but wanted a summer retreat house and fell in love with the Bellevue property, which was originally home to a small Swedish settlement centuries earlier and the Leni-Lenape Indians before that. After Cauffiel died, his son DeWitt and sister Luella lived in the house until just before the state purchased it in 1993. Their descendents, the Lickle family, donated $150,000 to its preservation, fearing it could be lost to development and sprawl that was closing in.
Now it sits preserved, just off the Northern Delaware Greenway and part of a rich historic network of destinations - along with Bellevue Hall, the Figure 8 Barn and the Mount Pleasant Meeting House - that any park would be proud of.
Take in the vista from the front porch of the Bellevue State Park's Cauffiel House and there's little doubt why it's known as the "Last River House."
Perched upon a prized homestead, yet tucked among trees at the northern end of the park, the three-story Colonial Revival-style home sits unassumingly. It was built by Daniel Cauffiel in 1929 as a retreat home after all, so it's by design that it doesn't beckon visitors the way the larger Bellevue Hall might.
That's why Facilities Superintendent Judi Jeffers and the State Parks staff are opening the doors to the home next Sunday, Jan. 31, to offer the curious a walk through it's halls.
"There are a lot of people who just have an interest in history and have seen the house and always wondered what's inside," Jeffers said. "We're going to show them."
|
Take the Tour The Cauffiel House
Delaware State Parks owns a number of historic buildings that, like the Cauffiel House, are ideal for special events. They include: Auburn Heights - Yorklyn *To book events, e-mail: destateparks_events@state.de.us or call 302-761-6952 |
Inside, Jeffers proudly shows off an impeccably maintained home that's design as an intimate social destination has lived on through the structure's new role as an events center.
"People come and say 'wow, I'd love to have a party here, can I do it?" Jeffers says. "And the answer is 'yes, you can.'"
Many of the home's small details, so important to Cauffiel during its construction, remain - from the woodwork on the walls and stair banister, to the baseboards and wainscoting throughout.
"It's still the Georgian-Gothic revival house he wanted," she said. "Those little details, those were the things that were important to him."
Cauffiel moved his family from Johnstown, Pa., to downtown Wilmington, but wanted a summer retreat house and fell in love with the Bellevue property, which was originally home to a small Swedish settlement centuries earlier and the Leni-Lenape Indians before that. After Cauffiel died, his son DeWitt and sister Luella lived in the house until just before the state purchased it in 1993. Their descendents, the Lickle family, donated $150,000 to its preservation, fearing it could be lost to development and sprawl that was closing in.
Now it sits preserved, just off the Northern Delaware Greenway and part of a rich historic network of destinations - along with Bellevue Hall, the Figure 8 Barn and the Mount Pleasant Meeting House - that any park would be proud of.
