Rockwood Park near Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Rockwood Mansion
Joseph Shipley built Rockwood between 1851 and 1854. A Wilmington native, Shipley amassed his fortune as a merchant and banker in Liverpool, England. In 1851 he retired to Wilmington and hired Liverpool architect George Williams to design a house similar to Shipley's Victorian country house in England. Shipley shared Rockwood with his unmarried sisters. After the death of the last sister, Rockwood passed to her great-nephew Edward Bringhurst, Jr., in 1891.
[Captions:]
Left: Joseph Shipley, about 1840. • Middle: Earliest image of Rockwood Mansion, about 1860. • Top Right: Wyncote, Joseph Shipley's residence in England designed by George Williams in 1840. Photograph, about 1920. (Courtesy of the University of Liverpool Special Collections and Archives) • Bottom Right: From the Delaware Weekly Republican, Wilmington, July 16, 1857. (Courtesy of the Historical Society of Delaware)
[Excerpt from the Delaware Weekly Republican:]
A Handsome Place. — The residence of Joseph Shipley, Esq., in Brandywine Hundred, is not surpassed by any in the State, and by few in our country. It is indeed a monument of what wealth and taste can accomplish. But a few years ago, rocks and trees covered the site of the elegant andspacious mansion, and what is now a beautiful lawn, ornamented with flowers, and here and there a stalwart oak, or lordly chestnut shooting their branches high up toward the sky, and gardens and green houses filled with choicest plants, fruits, &c., then sloping on every side to quite a deep wood, forming a delightful retreat, and making a most picturesque and lovely place.
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Erected by New Castle County Parks & Recreation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is July 16, 1857.
Location. 39° 46.359′ N, 75° 31.27′ W. Marker is near Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Rockwood Park. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Washington Street Extension and Shipley Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4651 Washington Street Extension, Wilmington DE 19809, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Allegheny Pachysandra (a few steps from this marker); Arrowwood Viburnum (a few steps from this marker); Fruit Cellar (within shouting distance of this marker); Gardens and Landscape (within shouting distance of this marker); Conservatory (within shouting distance of
Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 166 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 29, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
