Delaware
Shhh. This centuries old Wilmington garden is a ‘secret,’ but it’s open for walks, picnics
The ‘secret’ of Goodstay Gardens
UD’s garden off Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington is open to the public, free, year-round
One of the best aspects of being a reporter in Delaware is discovering and writing about places I might never have visited otherwise.
When I was a student at the University of Delaware, I took some summer classes at UD’s Wilmington campus at 2700 Pennsylvania Ave. That was more than 30 years ago. I never gave the mid-17th-century Goodstay Center Mansion on the grounds much thought, and certainly didn’t visit the gardens. If you’re taking a summer class, your main concern is to get it over with as soon as possible, especially when it feels like everyone else is having fun at the beach.
I’ve been back to the Wilmington campus maybe once since then to give a talk at its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute about my journalism career, but that was at least a decade ago.
But for several years, I’ve been hearing about and even sometimes mentioning the “secret garden” tucked behind the Mansion.
While on an assignment in downtown Wilmington on a glorious August summer afternoon, I drove by the Colonial Revival-style mansion, behind the white fence off Pennsylvania Avenue, and, on a whim, made a U-turn.
I was finally going to check out the Goodstay Gardens that are free and open to the public daily from dawn to dusk, year-round.
It felt a little like being in a Nancy Drew mystery as I opened the gate of the white picket fence leading to the historic Tudor-style gardens behind the stone colonial house, which traces its roots back to before 1635.
What a find! Let me first apologize in advance to anyone who considers this garden “a secret,” including the lone woman I met on my stroll who told me about the frogs and butterflies she spied during her walk and then said she didn’t want anyone to know about this hidden gem.
OK, so sorry-not-sorry. I’m no gatekeeper when it comes to sharing cool places in Delaware to visit, especially a free urban oasis. I feel compelled to spill the beans. That’s why the boss man pays me.
First things first: This former du Pont family home is nowhere near as sprawling as Longwood Gardens, Pierre du Pont’s former home near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, which has nearly 200 stunning acres open to the public.
Nor is it as majestic as Nemours Estate, his cousin Alfred I. duPont’s former homestead and French-inspired formal gardens in Rockland, which makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.
And it’s also no Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Henry Francis du Pont’s former home with its 60-acre garden, designed by du Pont, that is considered among America’s best.
Please, go to all three if you’ve never been before. All are spectacular, especially in the spring and summer and during the holiday season.
While Goodstay, originally known as Green Hill, might not be so grand as Longwood, Winterthur or Nemours, it’s charming, beautifully maintained, and has deep Delaware history as one of the oldest continuously kept gardens in the state.
It’s also free, and you can bring your dog. You can’t do that at Longwood, Nemours or Winterthur.
Green Hill was the childhood home of artist Howard Pyle, the Wilmington-born illustrator and painter who taught Maxfield Parrish and N.C. Wyeth. (Want to see his works? Go to the Delaware Art Museum, founded to preserve Pyle’s art.)
Pyle had a deep affection for Green Hill and its garden and was wistfully sentimental when he reminisced about its “old-fashioned roses,” beds of tulips and “daffodillies.”
“It was such a garden as you will hardly find outside of a storybook,” Pyle wrote shortly before he died in Florence, Italy, in 1911. “I cannot remember anything but bloom and beauty, air filled with the odor of growing things, and birds singing in the shady trees in such a fashion as they do not sing nowadays.”
In 1868, Margaretta du Pont, Pierre and Alfred’s grandmother, purchased the home and renamed the estate Goodstay from the French phrase bon Sejour, which translates as “have a good stay.”
Her grandson, T. Coleman du Pont, a cousin of Pierre and Alfred, often visited Goodstay when he was home from attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later purchased the property.
Du Pont, who owned the hotels the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, the Willard in Washington, D.C., and the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia, gave Goodstay and its 16 acres to his daughter, Ellen du Pont Coleman Meeds, in 1923.
She then hired landscape architect Robert Wheelwright to restore and enhance the gardens. Wheelwright, who designed Valley Garden Park in Greenville (another must-visit), and Meeds later married. Wheelwright transformed the gardens throughout the late 1930s, making numerous expansions, including the planting of magnolia trees.
After Ellen Wheelwright died in 1968, the property was given to the University of Delaware. In the late 1980s, Wilmington resident Helen Eliason was a leading force in rejuvenating the declining gardens, and the Friends of Goodstay Gardens was formed in the 1990s.
Friends, a nonprofit group, manages the upkeep of the gardens through donations and the hard work of volunteers. Some of the Damask roses still blooming in the gardens date back to the 1920s during the Wheelwrights’ time at Goodstay.
Goodstay is a carry-in/carry-out park with no restrooms or trash receptacles. Artists, photographers, and picnickers are welcome. Dogs are, too, but they must be leashed. High school students in the know sometimes pose for prom photos there. There’s free parking in a lot adjoining the Goodstay Mansion.
Walk through the garden’s gate and get ready to drink in the beauty. Blossoms change with the seasons, and the variety is impressive. Come in April and you’ll find tulips and magnolias; by Mother’s Day, there will be roses, peonies and irises.
During my August visit, I saw deep orange and coral-colored zinnias, tall golden sunflowers buzzing with bees, flowering tobacco plants, tangerine-hued leopard lilies, pink-colored pollinators known as fleabane, and tuffs of lavender-hued verbena.
Crunch down one gravel path and you’ll come upon a bubbling fountain. Go down another, and you’ll find benches to plop down on and read a book or shady areas to spread out a blanket.
Fall promises to bring amaranth, dahlias, asters and salvia. Next time I come (and there will be a next time), I’m bringing my dog (on a leash) and a cup of coffee and maybe a pastry to enjoy at one of the vintage garden chairs and tables at the back of the house.
Just remember, when you leave the garden, the trash leaves with you.
Unfortunately, there’s no exploring the historic Goodstay Center Mansion. At least not for now.
It has been temporarily closed by UD’s Department of Environmental Health & Safety, according to a sign on one of the doors.
When asked why the building was closed, a spokeswoman for the University of Delaware sent a statement: “Goodstay is home to one of the oldest continuously kept gardens in Delaware, with the origins of the garden (and the building there) dating to the 1700s. With older structures, it is important to routinely assess and address any maintenance priorities in order to ensure a safe visitor experience. At this time, only the gardens are still fully accessible to the public.”
Inside the Newsroom is an opportunity for our news team to share a look behind the scenes of how we do our jobs and live our lives.
Patricia Talorico writes about food, restaurants, true crime, and Delaware history. You can find her on Instagram, X and Facebook. Email ptalorico@delawareonline.com. Sign up for her Delaware Eats newsletter.
A new study released by the Delaware River Basin Commission says PFAS contamination remains widespread throughout the Delaware River Basin, raising continued concerns about drinking water, wildlife and long-term environmental health across Pennsylvania and neighboring states.
The report, released Wednesday, summarizes more than 20 years of research into PFAS — commonly known as “forever chemicals” because they break down extremely slowly in the environment.
The study is especially significant for Northeastern Pennsylvania because several counties either fully or partially fall within the Delaware River Basin, including Pike, Monroe, Wayne and parts of Carbon County, where many communities rely directly on Delaware Basin waterways for drinking water and recreation.
Other NEPA counties with portions connected to the basin include Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties.
Major waterways tied to the Delaware River Basin in Northeastern Pennsylvania include the Lehigh River, Lackawaxen River, Brodhead Creek, Tobyhanna Creek and portions of the Lackawanna River watershed, along with numerous streams throughout the Pocono region.
Researchers found PFAS contamination consistently present in surface water, sediment, fish and blue crab tissue samples collected at 21 locations throughout the basin.
Officials said contamination levels increased as the Delaware River moved downstream toward Delaware Bay, suggesting ongoing pollution sources such as industrial facilities, wastewater discharges and stormwater runoff.
“Safeguarding water for over 14 million people requires science-informed management actions,” DRBC Executive Director Kristen Bowman Kavanagh said in a statement.
PFAS are used in a wide range of products because they repel water and oil. They have been linked to a variety of health concerns and environmental risks.
The study identified different PFAS compounds in different sample types, highlighting what researchers described as the complexity of contamination throughout the river system.
“The Delaware River Basin is a global hotspot for PFAS pollution,” said DRBC Senior Chemist and Toxicologist Jeremy Conkle, who led the study.
The commission said continued monitoring will focus heavily on the tidal Delaware River and tributaries impacted by development and population density.
Officials also announced the launch of a new interactive online mapping tool that allows the public to explore PFAS contamination data across the Delaware River Basin, including local watersheds.
The tool combines information from federal and state agencies along with other organizations to provide a regional look at known contamination sites.
The DRBC will also host a public webinar on June 15 to review the study’s findings and demonstrate the new mapping application.
The Delaware River Basin provides water resources to more than 14 million people across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York.
Take a boat ride to Fort Delaware in the Delaware River’s Pea Patch Island
Take a boat ride to Fort Delaware, once a bastion of military defense and a prison camp during the Civil War, on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.
The Delaware history column features excerpts from The News Journal archives including The Morning News and The Evening Journal. See the archives at delawareonline.com.
100 years ago, The Evening Journal, June 1, 1926
Cordial welcome given Swedish royalty
Thousands of Wilmingtonians yesterday afternoon greeted Crown Prince Gustavus Adolphus and his wife, Princess Louise Alexandra, of Sweden, who were guests of the city. …
The royal party arrived on a special train at French Street Station and were greeted by a reception committee headed by Mayor Forrest. …
The crowd waiting at the station for a glimpse of the couple was so great that it had to be held back by ropes and guards.
When the Princess alighted from the train she was presented with a bouquet by Mrs. Christopher L. Ward, a member of the reception committee. …
The royal visitors were escorted to waiting automobiles to begin their hasty trip to Old Swedes Church. …
During the trip, the Mayor pointed out the Old Town Hall, the public buildings which were decorated with the American flag and the flag of Sweden, and the William P. Bancroft School.
A crowd estimated at 3,000 persons greeted the city’s guests at the church. The royal couple entered by walking through the cemetery and a lane of Boy Scouts bearing American and Swedish flags. …
Near the entrance, the Prince and Princess were greeted by the Rev. Dr. Frederick M. Kirkus, rector of Trinity P.E. Church. …
Inside, they were met by Bishop Philip Cook of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware. …
A silver plaque was presented to the Prince bearing an engraving of Old Swedes Church and an inscription commemorating the royal couple’s visit. The plaque’s frame is made of wood from the old church. …
Prince Gustavus offered thanks for the warm welcome.
“I am deeply moved by being here at this church and to stand in the place where the first Swedes in this country offered their worship,” he said. “This day I shall always remember and the memory will always be pleasant.”
Also from 100 years ago, The Evening Journal, June 1, 1926
Holiday automobile traffic heavy
An average of 12 cars a minute passed Station No. 2 of the State Police on the duPont Boulevard and the Glasgow-Elkton Road during a 12-hour check-up on Memorial Day yesterday.
In all, 9,101 cars passed the State Police station, according to Superintendent C.C. Reynolds of the State Police.
This was the heaviest traffic State Police have had to handle since last July 5, when 9,221 cars were counted in a 12-hour check-up….
Although there were several accidents, none were serious.
State Police kept the heavy volume of traffic moving fast. On the Philadelphia Pike, the officers speeded up traffic by having slow-moving vehicles pull to one side at times, allowing faster cars to move ahead.
50 years ago, The Morning News, June 3, 1976
Mayor’s overtures may bring oilmen to Delaware
Mayor Thomas C. Maloney will try to convince visiting oilmen today that Wilmington and its port should be the onshore headquarters for offshore oil and gas development.
Maloney has organized a two-day show-and-tell for the American Petroleum Institutes’ Atlantic Offshore Committee, a group touring the East Coast looking for potential onshore support sites.
Maloney’s invitation is one of the few direct Delaware overtures to the oil industry, which generally considers the state unfriendly. That attitude stems, in part, from Delaware’s Coastal Zone law banning refineries, superports and pipelines along the state’s shores.
Although the oil companies like Delaware because of the natural deepwater in the Delaware Bay and its proximity to where future drilling may occur, most oil industry representatives say there are enough other states actively soliciting onshore development. …
When the chairman of the committee heard of Maloney’s invitation, he wrote to other members, urging them to take a “hard look” at Wilmington.
Offshore oil drilling has been a controversy in Delaware for about five years. The Interior Department expects to hold a lease sale this summer for ocean bottom land 50 to 100 miles off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
20 years ago, The News Journal, June 5, 2006
Kenseth tames Dover’s ‘Monster Mile’ before planned changes
The scene was a familiar one after the NASCAR Nextel Cup series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday.
Sunburned fans filed down from the grandstands, coolers in tow, heading back to their cars. The driver crews hustled their machinery back to the haulers.
And Matt Kenseth, who won the Neighborhood Excellence 400 presented by Bank of America, celebrated in victory lane. …
An estimated crowd of 134,000 fans included Rocky and Gloria Chase of Cape May, N.J., who got married in the infield before the race with the Kent County Clerk of the Peace performing the ceremony. …
But nothing will be the same at Dover now that the speedway is about to undergo a five-year improvement that track officials dubbed “The Monster Makeover.”
Changes will include more parking, an outdoor concert area, improved concession areas and more skyboxes. All of it is being done to appeal to a younger demographic while not alienating hard-core fans who have supported the sport for years.
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
Delaware public transit plans for Philadelphia World Cup matches
Hundreds of thousands will visit Philly for the World Cup. Here’s how Delaware riders will get there by public transit.
When thousands of soccer fans descend on Philadelphia for the 2026 World Cup, the trip to the game will begin long before kickoff.
For most Delaware residents relying on public transportation, that journey starts on Amtrak or SEPTA platforms – navigating a transit system preparing for global‑scale crowds.
“Capacity is already sufficient for expected demand and we are prepared to scale operations if needed,” John Golden, a SEPTA senior press officer, told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “Travel demand is expected to be distributed, with many matches occurring during off‑peak commuting periods or weekends.”
More than 500,000 visitors are expected to come to Philadelphia for six FIFA World Cup matches at Lincoln Financial Field and the 39‑day FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park, according to Visit Philadelphia. The events run from June 11 to July 19, with matches in Philadelphia scheduled between June 14 and July 4 – coinciding with the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.
DART said it plans to operate on normal schedules during the World Cup, meaning SEPTA will be the primary public transit option for most travelers heading from Delaware to Philadelphia for the games.
What to know about SEPTA
SEPTA isn’t planning on any baseline service increases on the Wilmington/Newark line or the Media/Wawa line, as both lines have sufficient existing capacity, Golden said. SEPTA will monitor ridership in real time and will be prepared to add additional resources if necessary.
Golden recommends travelers give themselves two hours of travel time.
There are no discount passes, but through a partnership with Airbnb there will be free rides home on SEPTA’s Broad Street Line [B] after all six FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia (from NRG Station only), Golden said.
Golden said SEPTA will “maintain a flexible, responsive operating posture to adjust service as needed.”
Additionally, he said they want want locals and visitors to know SEPTA transports about 800,000 riders safely every day throughout the Philadelphia region.
“Planning for FIFA and the other events scheduled for this summer began last year and we are working with other local agencies, including the City of Philadelphia, Amtrak, NJ Transit and others to ensure that everyone’s experience is a positive one, not just during FIFA and America 250 events, but throughout the summer and beyond,” he added. “We encourage riders to visit SEPTA.org, where they will find up-to-date information on schedules, fares, enhanced service, and more.”
Extra police patrols will be added to both the B Line trains and stations to get riders home safely and SEPTA encourages riders to utilize the SEPTA Transit Watch App, where they can report safety and security issues discreetly.
Getting around in Philly
Once you manage to get to Philadelphia, the city’s convention and visitors’ bureau offers some suggestions on how to navigate the City of Brotherly Love.
- Take some comfortable shoes and walk in Philadelphia, which has consistently ranked as one of USA TODAY’s Most Walkable City to Visit in the country.
- There’s biking. No worries if you didn’t bring yours, Philadelphia has the Indego program – an around-the-clock bike-share program that provides thousands of classic and electric-assist bicycles at more than 250 stations around the city. Riders must be 14 or older to ride classic bikes and older than 15 to ride the electric bikes. Costs vary by the type of bike and the amount of time needed to use them.
- Don’t want to sweat? There’s SEPTA, which offers an expansive network of subways, buses and regional trains with one-way fares starting at just $2.90.
- Uber and Lyft are the go-to ride share services in Philadelphia, but you want to make sure you have these mobile apps installed with your payment information stored.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
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