On Saturday, as part of the Chadds Ford Historical Society's Christmas tour, I visited Rosewood, a spectacular Victorian home set on 36 acres off Route 842 in Unionville. The original part of the brick house (built in 1861 by Thomas Seal) featured lavish heavy draperies, chandeliers dripping with prisms and ornate wallpaper, and the newer portion had a huge kitchen, with hand-planed pine cabinets and a commercial-grade espresso machine, and a comfortably lived-in family room. There were masses of perfectly blooming poinsettias throughout.
I enjoyed seeing the two original N.C. Wyeth paintings of Robinson Crusoe, both purchased from the Delaware Art Museum, and the beautiful mahogany sideboards, bobinga-wood family-room table and other pieces by Unionville woodworker Doug Mooberry.
Several homes in Marlboro Village were also on the tour, as well as the Galer Winery, the Sanderson Museum, the Yellow House at Willowdale, and St. Michael Lutheran Church. I wish I could have visited more of the locations, but I only had enough time to get to Rosewood, which I've always been especially curious about.
I was reminded how much the quality of the parkers and guides affects the visitors' experience on a tour like this.
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