The Dickinson Mansion is one of Delaware’s superb old plantation houses and is operated by Delaware State Museums. Built in 1740 by Judge Samuel Dickinson, this brick mansion was the boyhood home of two distinguished sons of the judge, John and Philemon.

John, the best-known of the brothers, was called the “Penman of the Revolution” for his many inspired essays on colonial rights and liberty. As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, he helped bring about an important compromise essential to the creation of the Constitution. Though he was politically active in both Pennsylvania and Delaware, he signed the U.S. Constitution in 1787 as a delegate from Delaware. Philemon became a major-general in the Continental Army and an early member of Congress from both Delaware and New Jersey.

Just south of the Plantation is the Ted Harvey Conservation Area - Logan Lane Tract, a 2,016-acre site managed primarily for hunting and as a refuge for migrating waterfowl. There is an observation blind on the beach for viewing a variety of birds. Here you might see bald eagles, widgeons, teal, mallards, and other species. There are also waterfowl blinds, field pits, deer blinds, and a handicapped-accessible fishing pond. At the fishing pond, there are picnic tables and accessible portable toilets. Almost nine miles of trails (most of which are dirt roads) are open on a seasonal basis, depending on hunting seasons.

This property was the site of Kent County’s first European settlement. Kingston-Upon-Hull dates from the late 1600’s. Additions in the late 1700’s and 1800’s enlarged the structure to its present size. Among its more illustrious owners were Sarah Rodney Nowell, mother of Caesar Rodney, Jr., and Dr. Nathaniel Luff, Sarah’s grandson. Logan Lane Farm, currently a private residence, was built as a tenant house about 1810 by Sally Dickinson, John Dickinson’s daughter and heir to his Kent County properties.

The St. Jones Reserve component of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, comprising over 700 acres of land, is located off Kitts Hummock Road. The Reserve features tidal brackish- and salt-water marshes dominated by saltmarsh cordgrass and salt hay, and open water buffered by upland woodlands, farmlands, and meadows.

The St. Jones Reserve features a one-mile, self-guided nature trail that includes a quarter-mile boardwalk across the marsh. The trail is open from sunrise to sunset except during hunting season; trail guides are available at the Dickinson Plantation Visitor Center. For more information on the Reserve and its programs, call the Division of Parks & Recreation at (302) 739-4413.

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