Darley House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Darley House is located in Claymont, Delaware along the Philadelphia Pike and Darley Road. The home of world-renowned illustrator F. O. C. Darley (1821-1888).
Upon his marriage in 1859, F. O. C. Darley moved to Claymont, Delaware where he worked for the next 19 years. Built in the late 18th century and enlarged several times during the first half of the 19th century, the house was purchased by Darley in 1863 and renamed “The Wren’s Nest.”
During his career, Darley illustrated books for Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, and James Fenimore Cooper. Two of his most notable works were Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Charles Dickens visited here for two weeks during his triumphant tour of America in 1867. He died at his home-studio while finishing a Dickens portfolio in 1888.
The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The Darley House is located across Darley Road from the Claymont Stone School, and is directly opposite Archmere Academy.
