Georgetown, Del., Aug. 19, 2008: A piece of Sussex County’s past has a new future, thanks to a preservation partnership that will turn a 1700s-era farmhouse into a place of learning.

Sussex County Council, at its Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008, meeting, approved a joint funding agreement to purchase the Cannon-Maston House off Atlanta Road, north of Seaford. The 18 century brick farmhouse was built during the earliest colonization of the Chesapeake Bay region and now stands as one of the oldest structures in Sussex County. th

Under the agreement, the County and non-profit Sussex County Land Trust will partner to purchase the two-story house and two-acre parcel upon which the structure stands. Also included in the $725,000 purchase is an adjacent 58-acre farm, which will remain in agricultural use. Sussex County is contributing $225,000 toward the purchase.

The historic house and surrounding property will be managed by the Seaford Historical Society and Sussex County Land Trust, and used for future interpretive programs. The farmland, meantime, will remain in production.

“Thanks to the cooperative efforts of the County Council, the Sussex County Land Trust, the Seaford Historical Society and the present property owners, some of our earliest history can live on,” County Administrator David B. Baker said. “This partnership represented a unique opportunity for local government, preservationists and property owners to come together for the common purpose of protecting part of our history. That will ensure its future as a place of learning for generations to come.”

Built by Thomas Cannon in 1727, and expanded in 1733, the house and property are located in what was once believed to be part of the Maryland colony. At the time of its construction, it was located in an area that was the eastern-most expanse of the Chesapeake colonization. In 1851, the property was sold to Halsey H. Maston, hence the name Cannon-Maston House. Most recently, it was owned by the Litchford family, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

C. Daniel Parsons, historic preservation planner for Sussex County, said the house and its architecture give insights into what life was like during the 1700s. Mr. Parsons said it will serve as an important tool in teaching new generations about the colonial way of life on the once raw and remote Delmarva Peninsula.

“You have to remember that this house was built by hand, with bricks kilned right here, by settlers who were far away from their homeland, in a strange New World absent of the many conveniences we take for granted today,” Mr. Parsons said. “This was the beginning of the new frontier, and we are lucky to still have with us a piece of that bygone era.

“The property is simply a jewel that needs serious academic study,” Mr. Parsons added. “We look forward to sharing it with all Sussex Countians.”

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