Your support will help preserve this National Historic Landmark for generations to come. 

  

Your contribution will be used to allow us to replace the custom-made Venetian blinds that are crucial to preserving the delicate panoramic wallpaper in the Read House dining room. 

 

 Philip and Lydia Laird, who later entrusted the house to the Delaware Historical Society, commissioned the hand-painted paper in 1926 from the Chapman Decorative Company in Philadelphia. Its scenes show New Castle history as part of a complicated national history, including William Penn’s arrival in America. 

 

Visitors today use this as a starting point for tours of the house and neighborhood. This iconic feature that appeared in books and magazines also serves as a reminder that historic artifacts can be beautiful and challenging at the same time, and it invites us all to reimagine how we would tell the New Castle story to our own children and grandchildren. 

 
The George Read II House & Gardens is a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the Delaware Historical Society. This stately 14,000 sq ft mansion on the Delaware River in Old New Castle tells the diverse stories of the remarkable people who have lived and worked there since 1797. 

Learn about the Delaware Historical Society's additional #DoMore24DE Initiatives:
National History Day
Mitchell Center for African American Heritage

About the Delaware Historical Society
Mission: The Delaware Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that preserves, promotes, and shares Delaware’s history in a welcoming environment to educate, inspire, and empower people and communities.

The Read House & Gardens comprises a 14,000-square-foot mansion built between 1797 and 1804 and formal gardens added in 1847–48. As an outstanding example of Philadelphia federal style architecture, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2017. George Read II was the first U.S. Attorney for Delaware, and his father was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Under the stewardship of Phillip and Lydia Chichester Laird in the 20th century, the house and grounds became a model of the colonial revival movement and appeared widely in American lifestyle and design publications. Since the Delaware Historical Society took ownership in 1975, it has undertaken extensive research and preservation projects, combining federal grant support with generous contributions from local Delaware residents and charitable foundations. The Read House of the 2020s welcomes audiences to special events such as concerts, lectures, and art installations. Public tours and school programs are offered throughout the year and engages audiences through Instagram and Facebook.