Cannon-Maston Groundbreaking

Members of the Sussex County Land Trust breaks ground on historic home. Courtesy of the Sussex County Land Trust.

SEAFORD, Del. - On Wednesday, May 15, board members of the Sussex County Land Trust along with County and State officials gathered at Ickford Park to mark the start of renovations and restoration of the Cannon-Maston House located in Seaford.

The historic home and surrounding 59 acres were acquired by the Trust in partnership with Sussex County Council in 2008 with a combination of private, State and County funds. The trust says they acquired the land for the purpose of protecting and restoring the historic structure and surrounding agricultural landscape.

The house was built in 1727 and is one of the oldest brick homes to still exist on the Delmarva Peninsula. When it was constructed, the surrounding area was still part of Maryland and did not become a part of Delaware until the American Revolution.

"Sussex County is proud to once again work hand in hand with the Sussex County Land Trust to protect those places that add to our natural cultural heritage," said Sussex County Council President Michael Vincent.

Construction is slated to begin this spring and will focus on repairing the foundation and exterior walls of the home. The following phases of the project will restore the interior finishes and rebuild the fireplace. Future plans include locating small farm outbuildings, trails and restrooms on the site.

The trust recently completed a relocation and restoration of a century old structure known as the Williams-Litchford House, also situated on the property. 

Ring Lardner, Sussex County Land Trust Chair, says once the restoration is complete, their goal is to develop public programming for the site explaining what agricultural life was like in Sussex County during early 17th and 19th centuries. 

Locations

Reporter

Zakiya Jennings joined the CoastTV team as a Video Journalist in April 2024. She was born and raised in Somerset, New Jersey. Zakiya received her bachelor's degree from the largest HBCU in Maryland, Morgan State University, where she majored in Multimedia Journalism with a minor in Political Science. During her time at Morgan State, she was a trusted reporter for all three of the university's media platforms - WEAA 88.9FM, BEAR TV, and The Spokesman, the student run online publication.

Recommended for you