The main house is an Early Georgian mansion and was built on a 13,000-acre (5,300 ha) plantation in 1739–40 by Judge Samuel Dickinson, the father of John Dickinson. Wings were added in 1752 and 1754. The house faced a nearby bend of the St. Jones River which is no longer there as the river has been straightened. The original house suffered major damage during a British raid in August 1781 and was nearly destroyed in a fire in 1804. John Dickinson lived there for extended periods only in 1776–77 and 1781–82, although he kept up a keen interest in the property and often visited. Purchased by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in 1952, it was given to the State of Delaware and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.[2][3]
^ ab"John Dickinson House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2007.