Delaware Historic Home Moves on Down the Road

The story of this Historic Delaware Home for Sale is a little out of the ordinary. Little did Thomas Lewis, descendant of Welshman Henry Lewis, know when he built a brick dwelling house in 1772, that 200 years later a Kent County Delaware game warden would buy his house and haul it away, brick by brick.

Yet, this is what happened. The home, referred to in an old paper as “Tomahawk,” was reassembled in Hartly, just up the road. Missing windows, doors, and floorboards were replaced with materials from other abandoned homes, the remaining woodwork was restored, and modern amenities were added. The warden added a barn with a large workspace and an apartment on the second floor, as well as a chicken shed and boat shed.The date of construction, 1772, is set into the bricks.

A serpentine brick wall leading to a 2 level pond with a waterfall was added on the front of the 11 acre lot, with the historic Tomahawk Manor house set well back from the road.  The present owners have continued to work on the home for 15 years by converting a large room on the 2nd floor to a separate bedroom and study and adding a third bath. They re-oriented the kitchen work area by adding a counter space and allowing the cook a better view of the eating area and fireplace (one of 5 in the house). The remaining 2 baths were also updated and improved.  The open carport was turned into a 2 car garage with automatic openers. The home was featured in the local newspaper this last week which created a slideshow with the story.For complete details on this listing, see my webpage.