The Cauffiel House and Estate

The Cauffiel House and estate began as summer property purchased in 1910 by Daniel Cauffiel, a Wilmington businessman and real estate advisor to T. Coleman duPont, for his wife and seven children. The land, overlooking the Delaware River, had been farmed for more than 350 years. The family first reached the estate by trolley from Wilmington and stayed in a farmhouse that is now gone, while the barns and a distinctive water tower still remain. In the late 1920s, the Cauffiels built the nearby colonial revival brick house that has changed little since then. After their parents died in the early 1930s, DeWitt and Luella Cauffiel continued living there until their deaths in the early 1990s, keeping the house and land virtually unchanged for more than sixty years. The State of Delaware purchased the house and land in 1993 as an addition to Bellevue State Park, and the house has since been renovated for use as a conference center. The property also includes rolling lawns, shade trees, and a greenway trail. The house is a fine example of the Colonial Revival style, with classical ornamentation and interior features including painted wainscoting, folding glass doors between the living and dining rooms and the center hallway, and imported tiles in its five bathrooms.

Delaware · United States