Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1888-12-15
OLD LANDMARKS.
THE OLD POOLE MANSION ON
THE BRGNpYWINE.
"It's English, You KuOw"-Ihe Old
Sycamore TTeo-TeBrlng Down the
Old and Putting up
the New.

Nearly everything old in the building
line about the city Is disappearing be-
fore the steady march Of imprOvem nts
and hAndgOmer and more skAtlier man,
slOnR are taking their places. A feel.
Ing OF Ventration, bordering upon
solemnity, comes over the mind as we
look upon the dsmo.iii6p OF old build
inEs that may have perhaps housed our
great grAhdpArsasz, thaa may have Af
forded shelter end prs&setlon, II not 10
Washington himsslf, to tome Cfli jer or
soldiar Of his pAEisAs aFay. Fne old
fashioned 6teplAes aHd &sSp cupboard, :,
built In the thiok walls, carry the mind
away back TO the days when ear fathers
Ia knee-brseohGR, aRd ear nethers IB
high Martha Washington sAPs. sat be-
tore log blszlng iiFss, lsia Aorogs bFighs
brass AndiroBS, ana told thslr children
legends OF the revolaa1H, Esd rsheArsed
accounts OF ntHge Obbofiss Rnd muir
ders until thsir yOua6 bload ourdled
and thsy WeRo sfrRid Is ks 70 bed.
An exterior vleS Of thssS ancient
bnildings BlsO remind us that those
hard sSlmoR and Mack brick we're
brought over tIOm EAaiARd in suoh
shiBs As aAnE years bsfs<s lAndCd our
4rsAt. arsa sat-ErAndpAsARt frAsn tha May
flower 10 RlynoHts Reek. 9hoss figures
in tha gable, rudslg bat srtis4BAlly
made OF blAgk brl0k, thfeEA us that In
1763 that house, soon 10 BE- eora down,
vas built on the lot nsAr French ami
Sixteenth street.
1t is not very old, reckoning by years
the age of many other keusss, but ita
date runs baok l26 yeArS, tRslVu yeREs
5sfora the English Msjsr Pttcairn,
upUn the plElAH OF LVGlnE,oA, gave the
order, 'DlAgSfss, geu rgbsls; lay down
gouF arms and dLpasa;" but thR rebels
iidn's diEptrse, sad tWslvs years be
'ore General Putzan tsi2 tao aolonists
On Bunksr aul b "Tfust IA Ga and
keep your powder dFy," Aad Agaln,
wait uRtil you Gao see tsis whites OF
their eyes" 1t ia not Haiiksly that
come Of tho same EO6leEH followed
| Washington to NtlmiHg on in those
dEys and may baVe SsisrasS thSnsslvds
from hoI 2spksEbsT asa hszeGth tie
vide spread b,enohes OF taat RpaAt syca
more that, uEtil tbJ5t o weak szo,
Jood In the yard ab this old house
! Rhile plEns WsTe bUiEg discussed and
laid 10 hsed Of Oarn Eai,s ard his arms
10 tbelI 10 areh lrOn the head Of Little
Elk 20 Paila3elFha.
| But this old sycamore has Oome down
aud the old hOuEss qAHtsmpoFansOus
With 1t will follow IS soon as the present
| tenants oRn 6Dd oshsF homes. The
| squAIe upon which thssa old houses
stand will IN sill prnbAbility during next
summer b8 built mp vita modsFn dwell
log h9usss. Jamss Q. Pieksls will ertc,
quite . nun 6ST, and others are to be
ereOlsd, the whole pumboE bstng thirty.
three W. r. Beatty, builder and con
'raStor, is to erect the buildings
Referring to this locality, Amos g.
Brinton, who has becoms BoknoWlGdRed
authority upos local history. gives The
folloWipg aooount:
"These houses ara memorable ~ being
the residence of prominent grain mer.
chants on the Brandy creek. The
house nearer French slrset dStaS back
90 1868. ard Was ths rrBt huuse buiiE
bstWBsn Orange and Poplar and east Of
Tenth street. II was hno house ct Il 9
time OF building.
"Thomas Gibson and Daniel ByHnes,
who had two Of tho FIRST four water
{ ghts Of the tOugh loaR TRos and bnilt
tha first mill on kha Brandy Wiuo below
French street, lived In the house. The
mill = As attsrWaroB sold to Mr.. Norton,
but William Poole carried on the nIits
and llPsd In the house close by. Tue
mill Ard house bore POOla'a lame for .
generation.
'S!noe that time the houses have been |
occupied by other mill ownsrs and |
maHsRere, and now very few persons |
ara taxing any interest in their demol. |
ishmGnt,
"Ths old sycamore tree that stands
south Of the front door, about 10 feet
from the house is 16 feet 10 olroumfer |
encel and 10 feet up I've I've branches,
some OF them thicker than . barrel, |
tower up 76 or so feet and 9 ehAde OF ito |
apresdine limbs ooysr perhaps 5000 |
square feet OF ground. This 10 not 40 |
2NaAt as was covered by the tres when |
Mr. Poole and his family lived in the |
houee.
Fhe ebb and flow Of tha BRANDY.
wine to the south and east and ihs roAr.
ing OF its torrent rs 1t came from the /
noFth over the rocky bed Of the stream
1iu u3lsd Wi;h the olstSsr OF thu mill,
mEkinG most pleasant melody TO the
plainly-dresssd, God fearing old Fflsud
MT P0ola was man Of remarkably
good judgment and WAS ooksd upon A.
an authority on many SUBJECTS. H
died In the year 1850 He left three
sons, Samuel, wi ham aad John Nor.
ton ans several daughters.
Sarah married Joseph Bancroft Il
E9UktOEui hIEbDetn mBrfiSd Mf. 6e!-
Is Of Darby, D3la1Ars County, Pa
This laitsF were the parents Of WlIllAa
and George 6ellars Of the EtRemoor
Iron Company. j. Morton PoSIe wac
the leading mSohinist OF Rockford and
Afterwards Ot WILMINGTON. His sous
Alfred and Morton VICAR their tatkee's
mantle 10 the building OF machinery Of
heir clsss. William and eamuel Ban
,EeitI sons Of Joseph BAnoDft, surpass
thelr predecessor In the mGnuiAoture
and bleaching Of cotton goods
II have no doubt that the old grand
father Was az happy and oontentsd In
his old houses, surrounded by shrub
baFy, h)wers aud shade trees, and In tbs
society Of his family As any OF his
grand children In their modern pAlA
ass "
Samuel Poole ocouplsd the house for
short time since bis fathers death
The house passed into the hands OF the
Price tamily, and has Of late bsen occu
pied by two families who rented IL from
the owners.
DIR. Honeywell
Ia kept busy extraotlBR, filing and
mAkioR teeth. Hia nrtoka ara rcaann |