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 in 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.

Description and history

Aspendale is located about west of Kenton, on the north side of Delaware Route 300. The property is over 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 Flemish bond, while the ends are laid in common bond. The main facade is three bays wide, with a symmetrical arrangement of sash windows around a center entrance. The ground-floor windows, in a traditional Delaware pattern, have paneled shutters, while the upper level windows have louvered shutters. The interior has a rare example of a "Quaker plan", with a large 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.
The land on which the house stands was deeded in 1770 to Charles Numbers, and was 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 of these elements were reversed during a restoration of the property in the 1960s.