Vol. 18, No. 1Sept. 3, 1998

Morris property transferred to state park system

The University recently transferred the 504-acre Judge Morris property-the largest remaining parcel of open space along Kirkwood Highway-to the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation. Purchase price was $12.5 million.

A ceremony commemorating the transfer was held Thursday, Aug. 20 under sunny skies at the site. Formal speeches were followed by a short, guided hike along the extensive trail system on the property.

The property is now part of White Clay Creek State Park-the largest permanently protected block of public open space in northern New Castle County. The addition of the Morris property brings the park's total to 2,897 acres.

Judge Morris, namesake of the Morris Library, was a UD alumnus and chairman of the UD Board of Trustees from 1939-1959. A prominent Wilmington judge and major contributor to the University, he bequeathed the property to UD in 1966. The Morris property contains a state-recognized natural area encompassing a mature, diverse, hardwood forest. Pike Creek flows through the property, and there are three, single-family homes there, the most significant of which is the Andrew Gray House from the early 1800s. It is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future plans for the property include bringing its existing hiking and mountain biking trails up to Delaware State Park standards and renovating the estate mansion and out buildings for potential public use. The agricultural land will continue to be tilled.

At the transfer ceremony, President David P. Roselle called Judge Morris "an excellent example of the power of the individual and the far-reaching impact one person can have.

"The transfer of the property to the state," he said, "which we recognize with this event today, is a win-win situation for everyone and, in effect, turns Judge Morris' gift to the University into one that all the people of Delaware can share and enjoy.

"For the University, this transfer means both an enhancement of our endowment and the satisfaction of honoring the intentions of our donor by finding such an excellent use for his property."

Also speaking at the ceremony were Charles Salkin, director of Delaware State Parks; State Senator Thomas B. Sharp, Senate president pro tempore; Ned Cooch of the Delaware Open Space Council; and Al Parton of the UAW Committee Action Program.

- Beth Thomas