Winterthur

 Yesterday Trish and I spent a lovely day at Winterthur House and Gardens near Wilmington, Delaware. In the early 1800’s, this land was farm land of E. I. DuPont.  After making great fortunes in the manufacture of gunpowder, his grandson, H. F., begin his own lifelong passion of collecting American furniture and accessories.  The house has nearly 200 rooms and houses a collection of 90,000 objects.

While the house does have bedrooms for H. F., his wife and daughters, the majority of the gradually added rooms were designed specifically to hold his collection.  There are multiple parlors, bedrooms, dining rooms, and miscellaneous rooms filled properly with period American pieces.

We first had a self-guided tour of the fourth and fifth floor rooms.  Then we went on a special guided tour of the third, sixth, and seventh floors.  By that time our eyes were full!

There is even a courtyard (formerly an indoor badminton court) there four full facades from transported historic houses create a village square.

This is the kind of place where you can visit over and over again.  We will certainly come here more than once.  Besides, as the season warms, there are 1,000 acres of land and gardens to explore!