THE FUSSELL HOUSE, known in different periods by other names such as “The Pines” and “William H. Gillingham House” was constructed in 1823 by William Gillingham, a medical doctor. A succession of doctors, including Dr. Bartholomew Fussell, owned the building until 1841. The Underground Railroad activity known to have taken place on the property occurred during the years the property was owned by the doctors and a later owner named Chandler Darlington. Below is a timeline showing the ownership of the house from its construction to today.
1823
Tax records suggest that William Gillingham constructed the current building between 1823 and 1824. Further evidence that Gillingham constructed the house comes from an obituary of a later owner, which states “About 1820 or possibly sooner Dr. Gillingham newly graduated set up practice in this neighborhood and we believe built the house east of this borough, which was long the home of Chandler Darlington…” A third piece of evidence is that in an 1825 newspaper ad, the house is described as a “new two story brick house.” 1827 Bartholomew Fussell (1794-1871) purchased the house in 1827 on a parcel of 20 acres (plus a four-acre woodlot) from Gillingham. Fussell was a medical doctor who had moved to the area from Maryland, where he had opened a school to teach the Bible to slaves. Fussell’s renowned anti-slavery activities appear to have started while he was living on the property, particularly after he attended an anti-slavery convention in 1833. R.C. Smedley reported “Nearly all of the distinguished persons who visited Kennett Square, in the exercise of anti-slavery duties, were at one time or another entertained there [at Fussell’s house] as guests.” 1837 Dr. Fussell sold the property in 1837 to Sumner Stebbins (1806-1884) who also worked in the medical profession. At the time, Baltimore Pike ran immediately south of the house, infringing upon Stebbins’s sense of privacy. Stebbins petitioned to have the road moved 100 feet south of the house. The re-routing of the road caused a long, narrow triangle to be separated from the property of his neighbor to the south, so Stebbins offered the family medical attention gratis for two years as payment. 1841 Chandler Darlington (1800-1879) purchased the property in 1841 and lived there until his death. Darlington was another well-known “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. The Darlingtons usually provided a meal to the runaway slaves and took them further north for the night. Chandler and his wife Hannah Darlington were active in the Longwood Quakers, of which Chandler served as Clerk. Darlington died “at his residence in Kennett Township” in 1879. |
1882
Joseph M. and Sarah C. Taylor owned the property from 1882 to 1887. The Taylors rented the property to farmers throughout their brief ownership and do not appear to have lived there. The Daily Local News reported on 12/16/1885 that Joseph D. Taylor (relationship to the owners not certain) had been farming the property but was moving into Kennett Square; his son-in-law planned to farm at “The Pines.” 1887 Charles J. Pennock of Kennett Square purchased the property from the Taylors in 1887 and owned it for eleven years. During his ownership, Pennock constructed several large greenhouses on the property, which were among the earliest greenhouses in the township. 1898 Pennock sold the property to William A. Gunning of London Grove Township in 1898. Gunning found himself unable to make the payments on the mortgage. In 1903, Jane R. Scarlett purchased the property at a sheriff sale, and two months later she sold the property to Frank and Paul Way of Kennett Township. 1903 Frank and Paul Way and their descendants owned the property from 1903 until 1966, and were responsible for the Colonial Revival alterations to the house. The Way brothers were born in Accotink, Virginia, in the 1880s. They settled at “The Pines” in 1902, the year before they purchased the property, where Frank Way operated a nursery growing roses and other flowers. The date of the renovation work has not been determined, nor has information on an architect been determined (if there was one). The alterations to the house included the installation of many Colonial Revival style interior features such as the molding, doors, fireplaces, and door frames. Paul Way died in 1928, and Frank Way died in 1942. Frank Way’s widow Phebe and children owned The Pines until 1966. Their son Robert and his wife Katharine constructed a house next door in the 1950s and continued to operate the nursery business on the property. After Phebe died, Robert Way subdivided The Pines into the current three-acre lot. |
1966
Dominic Tavoni and his wife Concetta purchased the house in March 1966 to accommodate their growing family. For 20 years, the Tavoni family took great pride in maintaining and preserving the house. Local author Frances Cloud Taylor would often visit the property, bringing school children to tour the basement and grounds. A variety of ornamental trees and plants were part of the picturesque landscape, including Ginko, Japanese Maple, Cherry Blossom, Magnolia, Wisteria, Boxwood and others. The Tavoni ownership of the house is the last time this property would be used as a family residence. 1986 Dominic Tavoni sold the property In 1986 to a Delaware corporation named Yankee Enterprises. 1997 In 1997 the property was sold to James W. Sebastian of Three G’s Associates who, in 2000, sold the property to Kennett Land Development. 2006 The property was sold to the current owner, the ONIX Group in 2006. Formerly Harbor Management Services (HMS), the ONIX Group owns, develops and operates various real estate investments principally for its own account and to provide management and consulting services to others. ONIX Group is headquartered in Kennett Square, PA and operates business ventures in the Mid Atlantic Region (DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) and Florida. The organizations principal business interests are Hospitality, Healthcare, and Commercial Real Estate Development. * ownership information and image excerpted from the Kennett Township Historic Resource Survey, 2009, conducted by Wise Preservation Planning, LL * image: History of Chester County, Pennsylvania with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches by J. Smith Futhey and Gilbert Cope, 1881 |