UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 23, Page 1
March 12, 1992
Deserted house in woods is important historical discovery

     Once upon a time, there was a small deserted log house,
overgrown with weeds and underbrush, in a woods near a field
adjoining a large estate near Seaford in Sussex County.
     No one paid much attention to the house until a woman who was
interested in local history, took notice of it and began to unlock
its secrets and its past.
     What she discovered was an extraordinary find in terms of
Delaware history-the only known remaining slave dwelling in the
state.
     The woman is Claudia Melson, president of the Seaford
Historical Society, which owns the Governor Ross Mansion and
grounds, adjoining the small log house. As it turned out, the
house, now known as the Ross Mansion Quarter, is actually on land
that is held in trust for the University of Delaware.
     Melson contacted Bernard Herman, associate director of the
University's Center for Historic Architecture and Engineering,
which is well known for its ongoing project of recording old
buildings in its Delaware Valley Threatened Buildings Survey. She
sent photographs, and Herman then visited the house and was excited
about her discovery.
     According to Melson, William H. Ross, a former Delaware
governor, owned 14 slaves. Further research revealed that the house
was listed in 1860 insurance records as part of the slave quarters.
It was later moved to its present location.
     Although the house is in rough condition, most of it has been
preserved as the logs are covered by protective materials, such as
weather board.
     Detailed work and measurements have not been carried out,
Herman said, but some observations can be made. The house
originally was a one-story structure, 20 by 18 feet, with two rooms
and probably a loft. By examining the construction and the nailing,
it has been determined that it was built in the mid-1800s, possibly
at the time when other construction was carried out on the Ross
estate. The mansion itself was built from 1854-1859.
     The house has a gabled roof, a brick chimney, planked
flooring, plastered walls, a door and two windows on each side
wall. Later, the upper part of the house was expanded so that the
house now is a two-story building.
     "This is the only extant slave dwelling in the state," Herman
said. "Many structures associated with black history have
disappeared, which makes this house an important landmark in the
historical landscape of Delaware. By studying the building, much
can be learned about how African Americans lived a century and a
half ago."
     The house, known as the Ross Mansion Quarter, has been given
to the Seaford Historical Society, which intends to preserve and
interpret the house in the context of the Ross estate.
     In addition, a committee of scholars from several disciplines,
appointed by University President David Roselle and chaired by
Herman, will document the building and provide guidelines for its
preservation and interpretation to the society.
     Members are: David Ames, director of the center; Robert
Bethke, associate professor of English; James Curtis, director of
the Winterthur Program; Ritchie Garrison, associate professor of
museum studies; James Newton, director of the Black American
Studies Program; Rebecca Siders, Research Associate 1 at the
center; and William Williams, professor of the University Parallel
Program in Georgetown. Melson will serve as an ex-officio member.
                                        - Sue Swyers Moncure