Bellefonte near Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Cauffiel House and Estate
A Family's Legacy
This property, now known as the Cauffiel Estate, was purchased in 1910 by Daniel Cauffiel, the chief real estate advisor to T. Coleman DuPont and the DuPont Company. Cauffiel bought this 44-acre estate as a summer home for his wife Elizabeth and their family.
Cauffiel built this home, which was completed c. 1928 and is an excellent example of Colonial-Revival architecture, with a view of the Delaware River. The estate was a working farm with dairy cows, horses, chickens, vegetable gardens and an orchard.
Two of Cauffiel's seven children, DeWitt and Luella, lived in the house until their deaths in the early 1990s. DeWitt was 96 and Luella was 102. DeWitt was meticulous about keeping the house as it was when his father was alive and the structure still looks as it did in the 1940s.
William Cauffiel Lickle and Daniel Cauffiel Lickle, Daniel Cauffiel's grandsons, spent their summers on the estate, farming and catching muskrat along the river. In 1993, the Lickle brothers sold the estate to the State of Delaware and made a generous donation to create an endowment for ongoing upkeep and improvements to the house and estate.
The generous gift has enabled Delaware State Parks to protect this historic landscape from development as part of Bellevue State Park.
Erected
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Delaware State Parks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 39° 46.53′ N, 75° 29.204′ W. Marker is near Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Bellefonte. Marker can be reached from Cauffiel Parkway, 0.2 miles south of Philadelphia Pike (Business U.S. 13), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1016 Philadelphia Pike, 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. A different marker also named The Cauffiel House and Estate (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); A pathway through the past (about 700 feet away); Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal (ME) Church and Parsonage (approx. ¼ mile away); Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); Bellevue Hosts Tennis Championships (approx. 0.4 miles away); William duPont, Jr. (approx. 0.4 miles away); Margaret Osborne duPont (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mount Pleasant School (approx. half a mile away).
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., June 19, 2023
2. Cauffiel House and Estate Marker
The marker has since further weathered.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 10, 2024
3. Cauffiel House and Estate Marker with the estate in the background
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., July 9, 2023
4. Cauffiel House and Estate Marker
Mansion in background, marker in foreground.
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., July 9, 2023
5. Cauffiel House and Estate Marker
The barn, with the mansion off-camera to left.
Photographed By Carl Gordon Moore Jr., July 9, 2023
6. Cauffiel House and Estate Marker
Water tower in center. Part of barn in foreground on right. Mansion to rear left.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2023, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. This page has been viewed 138 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 11, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on June 20, 2023, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. 3. submitted on February 11, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 10, 2023, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
