Tweed’s Tavern

Formerly known as “MudFort,” this log structure was built circa 1790. The original two-story building measured 21 X 27 feet, and featured an attic and full stone basement. A later tax assessment describes the house as “large” and cites the presence of a “cookery (separate, original kitchen), frame barn, and stables.” In 1802, the tavern was sold to John Tweed. It remained in the possession of the Tweed family until 1831, when it is believed to have ceased functioning as a tavern. For much of the remainder of the 1800s, the building and the surrounding farm was the property of the Thomas Baldwin family; they were largely responsible for transforming the tavern into a domestic residence. After several changes of ownership, the property was purchased by Alfred Giacomelli in 1930. Five generations of the Giacomelli family lived in the house until 1989, and various modifications were completed during the time. The building was purchased by the State of Delaware in 1999. After a formal process was held in February 2000, Preservation Delaware, under the direction of the Hockessin Historical Society, was awarded the building. Tweed’s Tavern originally stood on the northwestern side of the intersection of Limestone Road (Route 7) and Valley Road, along a major grain trade route which ran from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Christiana Bridge and later Newport, Delaware. It was relocated to this present site beginning in June 2000.