Read House and Gardens

Read House and Gardens is located at 42 The Strand, New Castle, Delaware. Read House is a historic home found in the colonial capital and on the Delaware River, south of Delaware Memorial Bridge by three miles. The house was built in 1801 by one of the Declaration of Independence signers. The house offers a Federal style of architecture.

It has 22 rooms within a 14,000 square foot mansion. It was the largest home of its time costing George Read Jr. $12,000 to complete it. A home of its ilk today would be roughly $2.5 million to build. The family bedrooms provide a large amount of space, while the servants quarters are very small and cramped in comparison.

Read felt technology was important; therefore, when the house was built he added in the latest in modern technology. He included a hot air roasting oven and steam tables in the kitchen. Many of the rooms were updated in the 1920s and still preserve the 20s decorating style. The redecorating was completed by the Laird Family. Today the house and gardens are part of a museum to preserve New Castle history. William Cooper was the one to build the gardens in 1847.