Sign In

My Timeline

GuRoute

Discover Your World

Share your Experiences

Record your Life

beta

Discover Your World

  1
   

Top Attractions in Wilmington

Bancroft Mills

Bancroft Mills is an abandoned mill complex along Brandywine Creek in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. It has been the site of some of the earliest and most famous mills near Wilmington and was the largest and longest running complex along the Brandywine. Gilpin Mills was opened on the site in 1787 and was the first paper mill in Delaware. Bancroft Mills was opened in 1831 by Joseph Bancroft , an English immigrant who had worked in the Midlands textile industry. The mill was rebuilt following an 1839 flood and was expanded several times, including a large 1895 expansion. Separately Riddle Mills were built in 1845, on neighboring land and grew rapidly. The mills were consolidated in 1895 by the Bancroft family partnership, which was soon reformed into a corporation. In 1880, at half of its future size, Bancroft Mills was described as the largest cotton finishing mill in the United States, and in 1930 it was described as one of the largest cotton finishing works in the world. By the 1880s the firm was controlled by Samuel Bancroft who became the publisher of the Wilmington newspaper Every Evening and a major philanthropist. His collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings formed the basis of the Delaware Art Museum. His brother William Poole Bancroft donated nearby land to start Wilmington's extensive park system, and his donation for a public library is also considered the beginning of the Wilmington Public Library. While the Riddle Mills produced high-quality cloth, the Bancroft Mills were noted for their technological innovation and for finishing cloth that had been produced elsewhere. They were especially noted for producing fabric window shades. Bancroft introduced the mercerizing process into the United States, and pioneered the use of synthetic fabrics in weaving. They introduced the first permanent crease fabrics and Ban-Lon. As textile producers left the northeastern United States for the southern states, Bancroft Mills closed in 1961. The complex was recently owned by Wilmington Piece Dye company which went bankrupt in May 2003. The site was then bought by O'Neill Properties Group, a company specializing in the renovation and revitalization of disused or potentially dangerous parcels of land. Bancroft Mills is scheduled to become a large luxury condominium complex, to be called Rockford Falls. Today the complex stands as a reminder of the significant milling history of the Brandywine Valley. Around 1:30 A.M May 2, 2015 a fire was reported at the site. Wilmington FD as well as Volunteer Fire Companies from New Castle County in Delaware as well as companies from Chester and Delaware Counties from Pennsylvania responded. The building was currently under demolition

Delaware Center for Horticulture

The Delaware Center for Horticulture cultivates greener communities by inspiring appreciation and improvement of the environment through horticulture, education and conservation. Founded in 1977, the Center’s headquarters in Wilmington’s Trolley Square is an oasis in the city. The venue hosts many weddings and corporate events and includes a public demonstration garden that backs up to Brandywine Park, an art gallery, lecture hall, and a greenhouse. The DCH plants thousands of trees and leads regional projects to enhance Delaware’s urban forests; supports community gardens, urban farms, and school gardens; organizes city park improvement projects; beautifies Delaware’s roadsides with native vegetation; maintains the landscaping of many traffic medians and streetscapes; and provides educational programs for families and adults. Members of The DCH and more than 700 active volunteers come from Delaware and the surrounding region.

Old First Presbyterian Church

Old First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington is a historic Presbyterian church located on West Street on Brandywine Park Drive in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. Built in 1740, the one-story brick structure measures 30 feet by 40 feet and has a gambrel roof. Originally located on the east side of Wilmingtons Market Street between 9th and 10th Streets, the building was used during the American Revolution by British troops as a prison and hospital during the occupation of Wilmington after the Battle of Brandywine, September 12, 1777. It remained a house of worship until 1840. A cemetery on the site was the final resting place of many noted Wilmingtonians. It was moved to its present site in 1916. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America restored the interior to its original condition in 1981. It is open as a local history museum.

Rockwood Museum and Park

Rockwood is an English-style country estate and museum located in Wilmington, Delaware. Built between 1851-1854 by banker Joseph Shipley, Rockwood is an excellent example of Rural Gothic Revival Architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Rockwood Mansion was built between 1851-1854 for Joseph Shipley, a merchant banker originally from Wilmington. The Mansion was Shipleys retirement home. Shipley spent most of his life in Liverpool, England where he became wealthy. Rockwood Mansion was inspired by Wyncote, Joseph Shipleys English country house designed by George Williams. Shipley had Williams design Rockwood Mansion, though he had never seen the site. Joseph Shipley moved his entire household from England bringing his favorite dog and horse, as well as gardener Robert Shaw and housekeeper Audrey Douglas. After Joseph Shipleys death, Rockwood eventually became the property of his great nephew Edward Bringhurst Jr. in 1891. Bringhurst with his wife Anna and their three younger children Mary, Edith and Edward moved into Rockwood the next year. The Bringhursts eldest daughter Elizabeth Bringhurst Galt Smith, affectionately known as Bessie, was married and living in a castle in Ireland at the time. Bessie was responsible for much of the decorative features of the Mansion during this period. The mansion currently represents the 1890s when the Bringhurst family moved into Rockwood, though much of Joseph Shipleys furniture is still is in place at Rockwood. The estate passed to Mary Bringhurst who lived to age 100, and left the mansion to her niece Nancy Sellers Hargraves, who left it to an unnamed non-profit for the enjoyment of present and future generations. New Castle County received the mansion and acreage in 1973, with the Friends of Rockwood as caretakers. The mansion went under extensive restoration by New Castle County in 1999. The 72 acres of Rockwood Mansion Park includes the Mansion Conservatory, Porters Lodge, Gardeners Cottage, and Barn Carriage House. The six acre historic garden of Rockwood is surrounded by a ha-ha . The landscape is referred to as Gardenesque, a style that is characterized by long vistas, curving paths, and trees and shrubs bordering the lawn. In 2009 the University of Delaware acquired Rockwoods archives as a gift from New Castle County. Rockwood was featured on an episode of My Ghost Story airing on the Biography Channel on October 29, 2011. The Mansion is open 10AM to 4PM Wednesday through Sunday, tours are available on the hour with the last tour departing at 3PM. Tours are $10 for adults, and $4 for children. The Park has lighted walking trails, and the park is open dawn to dusk, daily. Trail maps and self-guided Historic Landscape Garden tour brochures are available at the mansion Wednesday Sunday 10am 4pm. The Mansion is closed on major holidays.

St. James Episcopal Church, Mill Creek

St. James Episcopal Church, Mill Creek, also known as St. James Church or St. James Church, Stanton, is an historic Episcopal church located at 2106 St. James Church Road, in Stanton, Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County near Wilmington, Delaware. As Europeans settled in Delaware, a log structure was erected near this location circa 1703. Mill Creek Hundred was split off from Christiana Hundred in 1710, and four years later James Robinson bought 110 acres, of which he donated 10 to build a church for the community. The building was finished two years later, and the first minister was George Ross, who later became father-in-law of the flagmaker Betsy Ross. After the American Revolution, although few Anglican clergy remained in Delaware, a layman from this church attended the first General Convention that founded the Episcopal Church, along with Rev. Charles Henry Wharton and two other layman from that parish. In 1820, the wood frame church burned, and was rebuilt in stone during the next three years. Bishop William White consecrated the current church in 1821, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as St. James Church in 1973. A rounded apsidal chancel projects from the north wall, and the interior still has white box pews and a balcony on three sides. The oldest burial in the surrounding cemetery is of John Armstrong, who died in 1726. The cemetery also contains the graves of several identified veterans of the American Revolution .

Woodstock

Woodstock, also known as Banning Park, is a historic home located at Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. The house was restored in 1929. The "Woodstock" house stands at the highest point of the park. From this height can be seen the Delaware and Christina Rivers and their surrounding marshes. The house is of brick, with a two-story east wing said to have been built in 1743, and a two-and-one half story west wing built-in 1833. The addition of porches and a kitchen shed during the 1930s are the only modern changes. On the roof of the newer and/taller wing is a "widows walk" surrounded by a balustrade. Two sheds attached to the eastern wing are old but cannot be dated. Granite hitching posts and a mounting block stand near the entrance. The inside of the building presents contrast between its 18th and 19th century sections. The older section has rough-finished walls and low ceiling. The newer section is more refined, indicating not only the passage of one hundred years, but also the increased fortunes of the owners. On the lower floor of the 1743 wing is located the kitchen/parlor of the original building. A winding staircase leads to the floor above, and there is a root cellar underneath. A dutch oven with original hardware and wrought iron door can be found in the fireplace of this room. The hardware in both sections is original. On the westerly side of the main floor in the newer section can be found large nine-over-nine windows. These rooms are distinctive for their imported marble fireplaces and original wood trim and hardware. The larger section features a side-hall, double-pile plan. The classic stairwell and broad passageways add to the spacious feeling of the interior. The second floor also contains handsome fireplaces, but made with wooden mantels. The one-half story above the newer section also contains two rooms which are notable for their inside shutters. Behind a doorway in the hall is a stairway leading to the second attic and the "widows walk." Tradition states that one of Delawares most famous ghosts still lives in "Woodstock," haunting on the full moon and leaving signs of his tragic death at the foot of the stairs. 156 acres of parkland comprise the present-day Banning Park. This is the last remaining intact plantationproperty along the Christina River. The land title can be traced back through records to approximately l659, when the Swede Andries Andriessen settled on the north bank of the Christina. The property changed hands several times until 1687 when John Richardson,a Quaker merchant from New Castle, purchased the property. Richardson planned to develop a milling community under the name of Middleburg, or Middleboro. It is believed that his son, John Richardson, II, lived on or near the property from about 1704. Richardson II, built a new and larger house further up on the hill at the present site of "Woodstock." The exact date of this new house is not known; however, we do know he built an addition in 1743, as he referred to it in his will of 1752. This addition is thought to be the smaller east wing of the present building. The older section, built between 1704 and 1743 was torn down in 1833 when the present main house was built. John Richardson II, and his several brothers developed on the northern bank of the Christina a series of mills, farming properties, and warehouses and docks. John Richardson II, passed on the property to John Richardson IV, his grandson. Since John Richardson, IV, left no will, the property went to Ann, daughter of John II. She married Dr Henry Latimer in 1779. Dr. Latimer was an active participant in the Revolution and a central figure in early Delaware politics. The Latimers were often guests of Presidents Adams and Jefferson, and "Woodstock" was the center of society and influence along the Christina. The home and farm were passed on intact through the Latimer family to James Latimer Banning. Previous to his acuirlng the property, "Woodstock" had remained vacant for some time. In 1929 Mr. Banning and his wife, Jane E. Gray Banning, set about restoring it. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Woodstock house is currently occupied as part of a resident curator ship program run by New Castle County.

Delaware Museum of Natural History

The Delaware Museum of Natural History was founded in 1957 by John Eleuthere du Pont near Greenville, Delaware; it opened in 1972 on a site near Winterthur, Delaware. It is known for its extensive collections of seashells, birds, and bird eggs. The latter is the second largest collection in North America. It is the oldest natural history museum in Delaware. The museum's core collection was started in childhood by the naturalist, philanthropist and high-profile convicted murderer John E. ("Golden Eagle") du Pont. Du Pont built a personal collection of seashells, birds and bird eggs. Even before getting a doctorate in natural science in 1965 and writing several books on birds, he became interested in developing a natural history museum. During and after graduate school, DuPont took part in several scientific expeditions to the South Pacific and the Philippines, and is credited with the discovery of two dozen subspecies of birds. At his request, his uncle Henry Francis du Pont provided land across from the Winterthur estate in the Brandywine Valley of Delaware for the museum. The museum opening in 1972 was attended by 200 duPont family members, and representatives of other Northeastern natural history museums. It was the first major museum of natural history opened since 1910.The museum originally was based on duPont's collection of 1,000,000 sea shells and 100,000 bird eggs. The museum emphasizes the ecology of birds and sea life. In early studies, these were used by scientists to measure pesticide contamination of wild species. DMNH is ranked in the top fifteen in the United States for its collections of mollusks and birds, with the second largest collection of birds' eggs in North America.The museum had a major expansion in 2005 to add educational and exhibit space. It has been expanded to include exhibits on dinosaurs, mammals, and Charles Darwin.

Delaware Art Museum

The Delaware Art Museum is an art museum located on the Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington, Delaware, which holds a collection of more than 12,000 objects. The museum was founded in 1912 as the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts in honor of the artist Howard Pyle. The collection focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th to the 21st century, and on the English Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood movement of the mid-19th century. The museum building was expanded and renovated in 2005 and includes a 9-acre (36,000 m2) Sculpture Park, the Helen Farr Sloan Library and Archives, studio art classes, a children's learning area, as well as a cafe and museum store. The museum was founded in 1912 after Howard Pyle's death as the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts (WSFA), with over 100 paintings, drawings, and prints purchased from Pyle's widow Anne. Pyle was the best-known American illustrator of his day; he died unexpectedly in 1911 while on a trip to Italy. Pyle left behind many students and patrons in his home town of Wilmington who wished to honor his memory through the museum, including Frank Schoonover, Stanley Arthurs, and Louisa du Pont Copeland. The museum's charter stated its purpose "to promote the knowledge and enjoyment of and cultivation in the fine arts in the State of Delaware."From 1912 to 1922, the WSFA did not have a permanent home. It held annual exhibitions at the Hotel duPont of work by Pyle, as well as juried exhibitions of his pupils and other Delaware artists. The Pyle Collection continued to grow due to the largess of Willard S. Morse, who gave over 100 Pyle pen and ink drawings to the WSFA between 1915 and 1919. In 1922, the WSFA rented three rooms in the New Library Building on the corner of 10th and Market Streets in downtown Wilmington.

Owl's Nest Country Place

The Greenville Country Club, formerly known as the Owls Nest Country Place, is a country club at 201 Owls Nest Road in Greenville, Delaware. The 18-acre property was developed in 1915 by Eugene du Pont, Jr., son of Eugene du Pont, as a country estate. It was one of the first major estates to be built by members of the Du Pont family in northern Delaware. The main house and three outbuildings were designed by Harrie T. Lindeberg in the Tudor Revival style, and were built in 1915. The estates grounds were landscaped by Franklin Meehan and William Warner Parker. In 1928 an Ellen Shipman-designed boxwood garden was added to the grounds. The estate has been home to the Greenville Country Club since 1961. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Alapocas Run State Park

Alapocas Run State Park is a state park, located in Wilmington, Delaware along the Brandywine Creek and its Alapocas Run tributary. Open year-round, it is 369 acres in area. Much of the state park was created from land originally preserved by William Poole Bancrofts Woodlawn Trustees in the early 1900s to be used as open space parkland by the city of Wilmington as it expanded. The park also includes the Blue Ball Barn, a dairy barn built by Alfred I. DuPont as part of his Nemours estate in 1914. In addition to walking trails, athletic fields, and playgrounds for children, one of the parks primary features is a rock climbing wall. The rock climbing wall is part of an old quarry across from historic Bancroft Mills on the Brandywine, and the quarry is also used for school educational programs centered around earth sciences.

Wilmington Rail Viaduct

The Wilmington Rail Viaduct is a series of fills and bridges, about 4 miles long, that carry the Northeast Corridor through the city of Wilmington, Delaware above street level. Constructed between 1902 and 1908, the structure consists principally of fills supported by heavy stone retaining walls, punctuated with plate girder bridges over streets, and augmented by a few sections of brick arch viaduct. Its construction is typical of the Pennsylvania Railroads architectural practices at the time, and the viaduct has been documented by the Historic American Engineering Record and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built by the Pennsylvania Railroad as part of a series of grade crossing eliminations along the Northeast Corridor, the elevation of the rail line necessitated several other changes to rail infrastructure in Wilmington, including the construction of the Wilmington Shops at the east end of the viaduct, and the construction of the Wilmington Station and adjacent Pennsylvania Railroad Office Building along the elevated right-of-way.

Delaware Avenue Historic District

Delaware Avenue Historic District is a national historic district located at Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. It encompasses 180 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure developed in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The district is primarily residential and includes a variety of Victorian-era mansions and large dwellings in a variety of popular architectural styles including Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, and American Four Square The houses are detached or semi-detached and are primarily three stories in height with extensive wings to the rear. The district also includes 20th century apartment complexes. Also located in the district is the St. Stephens Lutheran Church and the Sailors and Soldiers Monument. The separately listed Howard Pyle Studios is also located in the district. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, with a boundary increase in 1987.
♥

This attraction is located in

This is a private property. Please enjoy respectfully and do not disturb the occupants.

Edit Categories
Add Tours

This attraction is not part of any tours

Add Collections

This attraction is not part of any collections

 

Some of the attractions we imported from Wikipedia are not perfect. Send us an email detailing what's wrong and we'll look into fixing it.

GuRoute is all about Gurus sharing their local knowledge. If you feel up to fixing this problem yourself, why not adopt it. You will become the owner and can fix whatever problems you see.

We've copied a link to this attraction into your clipboard so that ou can paste it into an email or text message...

More Info... ✔
You can add your friends to the visit yourself, or, send them a link and let them add themselves...

The visit will appear on both your timelines and on your Shared Timeline.

Click below and we'll email you a link that you can send on to friends or post on your group's Facebook page.

If your friends aren't members of GuRoute yet, this is a great way to get them started.
Recent
Recently used Collections will appear here...
Recent
Recently used tours will appear here...

Where is this?

GuRoute likes to place attractions inside other attractions. So, maybe it's in a city, or maybe it's inside a particular park in that city. Maybe your attraction is a huge park that spans half the county, or multiple counties.

Determining where this attraction is gives it context - if it's in a park, you'll be able to see it alongside all the other attractions in that park. And that helps define the park.

GuRoute will automatically calculate a parent region for this attraction. You can change it if there is something more appropriate.

This attraction is currently located in .

Change

This attraction does not yet have any reviews

Please login to write a review...

Reviewed by
Record new Visit

Add this location to your timneline?

  • If there's an existing attraction open it and add it to your timeline...
  • If not, enter a title and we'll create a new attraction for your memories...
Create new Attraction

Create a new attraction at this location?

  • We rely on Gurus like you to share your local knowledge...
(Give a name for this location)

+
Add this to your timeline instead...

Imagine having a record of all the cool things you've done in your life!


Using our timeline you can keep track of everywhere you visit in your lifetime...

But, you'll need to sign in first...

Add contacts so that you can share your travels and record places that you visit together...

Family
Favorites
Family
Favorites

Profile TimeLine Our Visits Edit Accept Decline Invite

If you have any more friends that visited this place with you, feel free to add them to the visit. We'll write it to their timeline and once they confirm it, they too will have this memory for a lifetime.

If they're not already registered, you just need their name and email address and you can add them and we'll send them an invite on your behlaf.

Add a tour comment

Add some extra information for when this attraction is viewed as part of your tour...

Next Stop Instructions

Add some instructions for what to see/do on the way to the next stop...

Next Stop Instructions

Add some instructions for what to see/do on the way to the next stop...

If you're visiting an existing attraction, open it and add it to your timeline. If there is no attraction for the place you are visiting...

  • Click 'Add My Location' below
  • Or right-click on the map to mark a different location
  • Or long-press if you have a touch screen
You can even add locations while you're offline....
  • Load up the map when you're online and we'll keep track of your locaiton
  • You can add locations to your timeline
  • When you are online again we'll sync them with the cloud

We can't connect to the internet right now. The following attractions are saved locally and can be uploaded when you're online...

GuRoute would like to access your current location so that we can pin you on the map and show you nearby attractions

Add friends so that you can share your experiences with each other...

Add tour to What's Next?

Go...

Either for yourself or someone else...

  1. Do your trip research in GuRoute
    Add all the places that you think might be worthy of a visit into a trip-plan
  2. Add your trip-plan to your "What's Next" timeline
    (or a friend's "What's Next" timeline)
  3. When you're on vacation you'll have all your research at your fingertips
  4. Share your timline with your friends
    They can enjoy your vacation with you, seeing not only where you've been, but where you're going next...
  5. Add/remove attractions if things change

It also makes a great souvenir of your trip

Collections

Go...

Create a home page for a collection of attractions

  • Add an image and description to display on the homepage
  • Start adding content
    Add existing attractions to your collection or create new attractions of your own
  • Collections can be:
    • Public (Anyone can add attractions to your collection)
    • Shared (Only yourself and Gurus you nominate can add content)
    • Private (The collection will only be visible to yourself)

Uses

  • Local business or hotel
    Showcase local attractions that you endorse
  • Clubs
    Showcase attractions that members have created (eg. local historical society)
  • Special Interest
    If GuRoute does not have a category for your special interest you add your attractions to your own collection instead

Examples

Walking/Driving Tours

Go...

A guided tour where GuRoute will direct you from stop to stop and narrate a description of each attraction you arrive at

  • GuRoute uses your phone's GPS to guide you from stop to stop
  • GuRoute automatically detects when you arrive at the next tour-stop and narrates the description of the attraction (Chrome Only)
  • It then sends you on to the next stop

Tours are great to attract people to your town. Even places with no significant points of interest can be lots of fun when part of a tour


Cater tours to your Audience

  • Kid-friendly Tours
    • Focus on what will keep kids interested
    • Instead of parents having to drag their kids around they'll be struggling to keep up
    • Let the kids navigate and they'll get more fun out of finding that historical plaque than they ever would from reading it
  • Accessible tours
  • Short and long tours of the same location

What you need to do...

  1. Click 'Go...'
    Enter a title, description and location for the tour
  2. Add existing attractions OR create new ones and add them to the tour
  3. For existing attractions you can add more information specific to the theme of the tour
  4. You can also add instructions on what to do or see en-route to the next tour-stop
  5. Try out your tour and see how it works...

Mystery Tour

Go...

Create a Mystery Tour

Create a series of clues to show people around a city, neighborhood or whatever place you like...

  • GuRoute will show people clues to get them from attraction to attraction
  • When they reach each stop GuRoute will tell them about the place and give them the next clue
  • Take as long or as you like and explore each location at your leisure

Scavenger Hunt

Go...

Create a Scavenger Hunt

Create a series of questions that people have to answer. The answers can all be discovered by walking aroung the area, looking for clues.

  • How many beers are on tap at Michael Collin's Irish Bar?
  • What's the name of the oldest building on main streeet?
  • Show a picture of some public art and ask them what it is called
  • Clues can have numeric or multiple choice answers