Goodstay House and Gardens, Wilmington

Tucked behind stone walls and boxwood hedges near Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington, the Goodstay House and Gardens is a tranquil retreat with deep historical roots. Once a bustling farmstead known as “Green Hill,” the estate traces its origins to the mid-17th century and later became home to American illustrator Howard Pyle, who fondly remembered the terraced lawns, fragrant shrubs, and timeless serenity of the grounds.

The house passed through several owners before Margaretta E. du Pont purchased it in 1868 and renamed it “Goodstay,” evoking the family’s ancestral home in New Jersey. In 1923, T. Coleman du Pont gifted the 16-acre estate to his daughter, Ellen Coleman du Pont Meeds, who, with landscape architect Robert Wheelwright, reshaped the grounds into one of Delaware’s oldest and most celebrated gardens.

Between 1924 and the late 1930s, Ellen du Pont Meeds and landscape architect Robert Wheelwright transformed Goodstay into a Tudor-style garden with six “outdoor rooms” bordered by hedges, flower beds, and gravel paths. Highlights include a magnolia walk with 38 pink trees, a circular pool, a woodland garden, and enduring features like the crocus drift and “turkey rock garden.” Wheelwright, who later married Ellen, ensured the design complemented the Colonial Revival-style home.

The estate’s architectural layers reflect centuries of expansion, from its original stone core enlarged in the 18th and 19th centuries to the 1924 and 1933 additions that responded to modern life and garden views. Though nestled within sight of downtown Wilmington, the grounds feel removed from the urban bustle. The restoration of the gardens in the 1990s revived their original structure and vibrancy, preserving the vision of their early 20th-century designers.

Today, Goodstay House is part of the University of Delaware’s Wilmington campus and serves as a conference center. The gardens, open daily during daylight hours, invite visitors to stroll its peaceful gravel paths and enjoy the secluded elegance of a historic landscape shaped by both memory and design.