The Cauffiel House and Estate
A Country Home on the River
Once the summer home of a prosperous Wilmington businessman and his family, the Cauffiel House has changed little since it was built in the late 1920s. The colonial style brick house still looks down to the Delaware River over land that was farmed for more than 350 years. Today, both the house and the land are part of Bellevue State Park.
A house with a view...to the past
In 1910, Daniel Cauffiel, real estate advisor to T. Coleman duPont, purchased this land for a summerhouse to share with his wife and seven children. At first, the Cauffiels traveled out to the estate by trolley from their home in Wilmington. The farmhouse they stayed in is now gone, but the barns and a distinctive water tower still stand. Nearby is the handsome colonial revival house the Cauffiels had built in the 1920s.
A home preserved
We owe the preservation of this home and land to the Cauffiel family. When their parents died in the early 1930s, two of the Cauffiel children continued to live in the house until their deaths in the early 1990s. DeWitt and Luella kept the home and land virtually unchanged for more than sixty years.
A house with a view...to the future
The State of Delaware purchased the Cauffiel House and land in 1993, as an addition to Bellevue State Park. Since then, the house has been renovated for use as a conference center.
The land, with its wide, rolling lawns and tall shade trees is ideal for picnics. The greenway trail invites visitors to explore the area's history.
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival style, inspired by the stately homes of early America and the young United States, was popular in the first decades of the 20th century. This style is known for its use of classical ornamentation, based on Greek and Roman designs.
The Cauffiel House is a fine example of the Colonial Revival style. Inside, the painted wainscoting, folding glass doors separating the living and dining rooms from the center hallway, and imported tiles in its five bathrooms, combines traditional design with modern comforts.
Marker can be reached from Cauffiel Parkway near U.S. 13.
Courtesy hmdb.org
