No. 49 The Green - Dover, Delaware
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 39° 09.362 W 075° 31.386
18S E 454803 N 4334221
Also known as the John Bell Office, the oldest wooden building in Dover
Waymark Code: WMMKKJ
Location: Delaware, United States
Date Posted: 10/03/2014
Views: 2
"5. NO. 49 THE GREEN (private), a one-and-one-half story frame office building covered with clapboards split by hand, is reckoned one of the city's earliest buildings, the precise date of erection unknown. It has served as Dover's first postoffice, as shop, and as law offices of Nathaniel B. Smithers and George V. Massey—in their time, leading attorneys of Dover."-Delaware: A Guide to the First State, 1938
Despite being sometimes known as the "John Bell House," the building actually is believed to have served as a workshop. It is the oldest remaining wood structure in Dover. The exact date of construction is uncertain. In the attic, restoration workers found the date 1743 punched with an awl into a section of wooden stud, but it is thought that the actual construction date may be even earlier. The building was owned by several generations of the Bell family; today, it is owned by the state and serves as a starting point for historic tours.
Note: The historic district nomination form also lists the address as "49 The Green" but today, according to the state website, the actual address is 43 The Green.
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