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WILLARD STEWART

PHOTOGRAPHS OF DELAWARE

ca. 1936 - 1938

Photographs/Prints/Images Collection: 101

Extent: 1 linear ft. (246 items)

Contents: Photographs

Access: The collection is open for research.

Processed: 2001 by Laura Cochrane and Theresa Hessey

Introductory Notes

Willard S. Stewart

Willard S. Stewart was born February 21, 1915, in Wilmington, Delaware. During the 1930s, he became the primary photographer for the Delaware Federal Writers’ Project and photographed numerous Delaware buildings and landscapes. Many of these images were published in New Castle on the Delaware (1936) and Delaware: A Guide to the First State (1938), both of which were published by the Delaware Federal Writers' Project. Willard Stewart was also a project photographer for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). HABS was established in 1933 by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Like the Federal Writers Project, HABS was created to give work to unemployed draftsmen, architects, and photographers. The purpose of the photographs and drawings made by employees of the organization was preservation through documentation. Additional photographs of Delaware sites that were taken by Willard Stewart can be seen at "Built In America: HABS/HAER 1933 - Present," part of the Library of Congress's American Memory Web site. Stewart also served as the photographer for other WPA-sponsored projects, including the Index of American Design. Willard Stewart's photographs were also published in a book by M. Thomas Clemons, Wilmington: Wide Is the City (Wilmington, Del.: Hambleton, 1947).

For the better part of his career, Willard Stewart was one of Wilmington's most prominent professional portrait photographers. He maintained studios at Brecks Mill and 1300 Riverview Avenue in Wilmington until his retirement in the 1980s. In 1955, Willard Stewart was awarded the degree of Master of Photography by the Professional Photographers Association of America. The degree is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a professional photographer by the Association, and was awarded to Willard Stewart on the basis of excellence in technique and craftsmanship. He was also the recipient of the James B. Schriever Memorial Plaque from the Professional Photographers' Association of Pennsylvania. Willard Stewart was also an influential teacher of photography. He taught classes at the Winona School of Photography, in Winona, Indiana. He also lectured extensively at photographic seminars throughout New England and Canada. Willard Stewart died on July 12, 2003.

Sources:

Willard S. Stewart Obituary. The News Journal. Wilmington, July 16, 2003. B5

Built In America: Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record: 1933 - Present. Library of Congress: American Memory. Retrieved October 15, 2003 from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/html/home.html

United States. National Park Service. Historic American Buildings Survey: catalog of the measured drawings and photographs of the survey in the Library of Congress, January 1, 1938 / compiled and edited by John P. O'Neill. Washington, D.C. : G.P.O., 1938.

Scope and Content

The University of Delaware’s Willard Steward WPA and HABS Photographs Collection contains 246 photographs of landscapes and buildings in Delaware. The collection includes images from throughout Delaware, although the greatest number are from New Castle County, with the architecture of New Castle and Wilmington being extremely well represented. In addition to historic buildings, Stewart also documented businesses, factories, farms, waterscapes, and undeveloped land. Most of the photographs are undated. The two photographs that are dated record 1936 and 1938, which suggests that rest of the photographs also date to around these years, as does the fact that some of the images appear in WPA publications that came out also in 1936 and 1938.

All of the images are black and white silver gelatin prints. The majority of the photographs are 8 x 10 prints, but some are 5 x 7 format.

Note on Arrangement

The collection is arranged geographically by county (Kent, New Castle, Sussex), and subsequently by city or vicinity, with images that cannot be attributed to a particular location placed at the end of the collection. The photographs have identifying captions or descriptions written on the back, and many of them include a number such as "DEL-130" from the classification system used in the HABS catalog (see Historic American Buildings Survey : catalog of the measured drawings and photographs of the survey in the Library of Congress … ). Images published in Delaware: A Guide to the First State … (referred to as Delaware Guide) are cited with page number, and when tours from the Delaware Guide are noted on the verso of the photographs, this information is also recorded.

For researchers who wish to search the collection by subject matter, there is an online finding aid that indexes the collection by various subject terms and has digitized images of the photographs.

The Willard Stewart Photographs for WPA and HABS

Related Collections:

Delaware Federal Writers’ Project Papers, 1936-1941 (49 volumes)

Special Collections: DEL F164 .F47

Series I. Kent County

F1 Bowers Beach

1. Man on the dock with boats in the background

F2 Camden

1. Friends Meeting House

Built in 1805, DEL-5, Delaware Guide p. 353

F3 Dover

1. Rosedale Cheese plant, Delaware Guide Tour 13

Amish cheese factory worker near Dover

2. Rosedale Cheese plant

Amish cheese factory worker near Dover

3. Rosedale Cheese plant

Amish cheese wheels near Dover

4. Unidentified garden

5. "Colonial transportation on Dover Day in front of the Ridgley House"

6. Legislative Hall

8. Christ Episcopal Church, DEL-73

Stairway

F4 Dover Vicinity

7. Dickinson Mansion

Kingston-upon-Hull, the estate of Samuel Dickinson and home of John Dickinson, on the road to Kitts Hummock, east of Dover, National Historic Landmark

F5 Duck Creek

1. Short House, DEL-127

“The Lindens”

2. Davis-Boyer House, DEL-128

F6 Frederica

1. Main Street in Frederica, "a Kent County village"

2. Main Street in Frederica

F7 Leipsic

1. Ruth Mansion House, DEL-130

2. Ruth Mansion House, DEL-130

Living room mantel

3. Wheel of Fortune, manor house, DEL-76, Delaware Guide Tour 10

F8 Little Creek

1. “Miss Delroy” fishing boat on the Little Creek

Series I. Kent County (cont’d)

F9 St. Jones Creek

1. King [horseshoe] crabs on Jones Creek, Warren's Landing, near Bowers Beach, Delaware Guide, p. 401

F10 Smyrna

1. Belmont Hall, view from west, DEL-129

2. Belmont Hall, view of doorway from southwest, DEL-129

3. Hoffecker House, view from north, DEL-126

4. Mustard House, view from south, DEL-125

5. Spruance House, DEL-123

front view, Dutch influence

6. Spruance House, view from north [back view], DEL-123

7. Cummins-Stockly House, view from north, DEL-124

8. Woodlawn, Delaware Guide Tour 1

south of Smyrna, colonial back, neo-classic front

13. Old Clayton House, DEL-122

mantel and fireplace

Series II. New Castle County

F11 Arden

1. Gild Hall

Free Library Station

2. Gild Hall

Free Library Station

F12 Blackbird

1. Man and boy in small boat at Blackbird Landing

2. Man and boy in small boat at Blackbird Landing

F13 Centreville Vicinity

1. Friends Centre Meeting House, DEL-53, Delaware Guide, p. 429

F14 Christiana

1. Shannon Hotel, "Washington stopped here"

2. Unidentified grocery in Christiana

3. Christiana Hotel

4. John Lewden House

5. Unidentified house

6. Weber House

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F15 Cooch’s Bridge

1. Cooch House near Cooch’s Bridge, southwest elevation, DEL-57

2. Cooch Block House at Cooch’s Bridge, DEL-57

F16 Delaware City

1. Delaware City from the Delaware River

2. Old canal entrance

3. Alternate view of the old canal entrance

4. Alternate view of the old canal entrance

F17 Delaware River

1. Oyster skipjack on the Delaware

F18 Glasgow

1. Pencader Presbyterian Church, DEL-58

F19 Henry Clay Village

1. Experimental Station of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.

F20 Hockessin

1. Hockessin Valley

F21 Holly Oak

1. Lodge House, DEL-50

F22 Lancaster Pike

1. Chemical experimental station, Hercules Powder Company

F23 Middletown

1. Ducks near the shore of Noxontown Pond in Middletown

Near St. Andrew’s School, Delaware Guide Tour 9

F24 Middletown Vicinity

2. St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, DEL-72, Delaware Guide Tour 9

3. St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, east elevation, DEL-72

Eastern elevation

F25 Milltown

1. Murray House, south elevation, DEL-69

Limestone Road near Milltown

2. Harlan Grist Mill, view from north, DEL-68

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F26 Milltown Vicinity

1. Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church and cemetery, Delaware Guide Tour 11

2. Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church and cemetery

F27 Naamans

1. Robinson House, front elevation, DEL-52

Also known as the Naamans’ Tea House

F28 Newark Vicinity

3. Welsh Tract Baptist Church, west elevation, DEL-56

F29 New Castle

1. Bellanca Aircraft Corporation

2. Alexander Home, DEL-105

Also known as the Sloopes house, rear built 1693, front built 1797

3. Arsenal on the Green

Published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 32

4. Booth House, DEL-88

On Delaware Street, built 1730

5. Booth House, DEL-88

Marble fireplace

6. Booth House, DEL-88

Fireplace

7. Booth House, DEL-88

Doorway to a grandfather clock

8. Booth House, DEL-88

Stairway

9. Booth House, DEL-88

An alternate stairway

10. Clouds Row, DEL-83

Dating from 1804, New Castle on the Delaware, p. 16

11. Clouds Row, view from south, Oct. 13, 1936, DEL-83

Dating from 1804, New Castle on the Delaware, p. 16

12. Samuel Couper House, DEL-112

Stairway

13. Samuel Couper House, DEL-112

Fireplace

14. Samuel Couper House, DEL-112

Fireplace

15. Samuel Couper House, DEL-112

Detail of the fireplace mantel

16. Samuel Couper House, DEL-112

Fireplace

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F29 17. New Castle Courthouse, DEL-80

Front and southeast end, National Historic Landmark, New Castle on the Delaware, p. 16

18. New Castle Courthouse, DEL-80

Detail of the cupola, from the southeast, National Historic Landmark, New Castle on the Delaware, p. 16

19. The Hermitage, DEL-106

Early 18^th century fireplace

20. Laird House, the Strand, DEL-86

21. Immanuel Church, DEL-79

Interior, choir loft

22. Immanuel Church, DEL-79

Chancel

23. Immanuel Church, DEL-79

Corner of the graveyard

24. Jefferson House (Hotel), DEL-98

On the Strand, dating from 1810

25. Jefferson House (Hotel), DEL-98

On the Strand, dating from 1810

26. Kensey Johns, Jr., House, DEL-119

Interior door

27. Kensey Johns House, DEL-116

Exterior door

28. Laird House, the Strand, DEL-86

Published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 88

29. Laird House, the Strand, DEL-86

Published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 88

F30 New Castle (cont'd)

30. Maple Shade, DEL-135

East of New Castle, dating from 1845

31. Old Academy Building, DEL-78

Frontal view

32. Old Academy Building, DEL-78

Angle view

33. Old Academy Building, DEL-78

Doorway

34. Old Academy Building, DEL-78

Stairway and hall

35. New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad Station, DEL-104

Oldest ticket office in the U.S. dating from 1832

36. New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad Station, DEL-104

Oldest ticket office in the U.S. dating from 1832

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F30 38. William Penn House, DEL-101

Stairway, erected in 1681 or earlier. It was the house of Arnoldus de la Grange who came to New Castle in 1682

39. Old Delaware House (right), rear of William Penn House (left), DEL-100

40. Old Presbyterian Church, DEL-84

41. George Read House, DEL-81

Dating from 1801

42. Rodney House, DEL-118

Dating from 1831

48. Thomas House, DEL-87

Front door and windows, also known as Immanuel Parish House

49. Thomas House, DEL-87

Fireplace, also known as Immanuel Parish House

50. Thomas House, DEL-87

Another fireplace, also known as Immanuel Parish House

51. Thomas House, DEL-87

Front door, also known as Immanuel Parish House

52. Kensey J. Van Dyke House, DEL-92

Built 1820, published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 32

53. Van Leuvenigh House, DEL-121

Home of Ernst DuPont, published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 88

54. Rodney Willis House, DEL-94

Dates from the early 19^th century

55. The Strand, DEL-97

Dating from 1824-1832, published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 88 captioned as “Row built after the fire”

56. The Strand, DEL-97

Dating from 1824-1832, New Castle on the Delaware, p. 88

57. The Strand, DEL-96

Building to the extreme right is Immanuel Parish House established circa 1801. Attributed to Peter Crowding

58. Group of Three Houses, DEL-99

Old Farmer’s bank, Gunning Bedford House, and McIntire House, published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 88

59. Group of Three Houses, DEL-99

Old Farmer’s bank, Gunning Bedford House, and McIntire House, published in New Castle on the Delaware, p. 88

60. Unidentified street scene, shows Opera House cupola

61. New Castle Courthouse, DEL-80

South steps, National Historic Landmark

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F31 New Castle Vicinity

1. “The Buttonwoods,” front elevation, DEL-71

2. “The Buttonwoods,” barn, DEL-71

3. “The Buttonwoods,” barn, DEL-71

37. Old Eve’s Place on the water, DEL-70

Just north of New Castle, dating from mid-18^th century

3. Mansion Farm, DEL-108

12. Swanwick Manor [Regency House], interior stair, DEL-48

14. Grantham House, exterior view, DEL-107

15. Grantham House, interior stairs, DEL-107

43. Stonum House, DEL-91

Stair landing, National Historic Landmark. Country home of George Read

44. Stonum House, DEL-91

Landing

45. Stonum House, DEL-91

Brick fireplace,

46. Stonum House, DEL-91

Fireplace

47. Stonum House, DEL-91

Another fireplace

F32 Newport

1. Myers House, DEL-47

2. Myers House, DEL-47

3. Myers House, view from north, DEL-47

4. Galloway House, view from northeast, DEL-132

F33 Odessa

3. Corbit House (Castle William), DEL-90, Delaware Guide Tour 1 Section C

[rear of house] National Historic Landmark

4. Heller House, view from east, DEL-114

exterior side view

5. Heller House, DEL-114

view of living room mantel

6. David Wilson House and Corbit Library, DEL-89,

exterior view, dating from 1785, Delaware Guide Tour 1 Section C

7. Food market

Attached to old Colonial dwelling

8. Food market

Attached to old Colonial dwelling

9. Old Odessa Inn, DEL-113

Entrance

10. Odessa Friends Meeting House, DEL-115

11. Odessa Friends Meeting House, view from east, DEL-115

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F34 Ogletown Vicinity

1. John England Mansion, DEL-137

2. John England’s Grist Mill, DEL-136

F35 Rockland

1. Kirk's Barn, Old Kirk’s Mill, DEL-64

F36 St. Georges

1. MacDonough House, Delaware Guide Tour 1 Section C

Near St. Georges

2. Dredging operation

On the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal near St. Georges

3. Dredging operation

On the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal near St. Georges

4. Railroad Bridge (Summit Bridge) and dredging operation

On the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal near St. Georges

F37 Stanton

1. Meeting house

2. St. James Episcopal Church, DEL-55

Dates to 1820

F38 Taylor’s Bridge Vicinity

1. Huguenot House, DEL-77, Delaware Guide Tour 10

Built by Elias Naudain in 1711

2. Huguenot House, DEL-77

Archway, built by Elias Naudain in 1711

F39 Wilmington

1. Wilmington’s skyline

Viewed from across the Delaware River

2. Wilmington’s skyline

Viewed toward Delaware River from Porter Reservoir, Delaware Guide, p. 261

3. Wilmington’s skyline at night

4. Wilmington’s skyline at night

5. Delaware Avenue

Looking east towards the DuPont Building

6. Looking east on the Nemours Building

7. South Market Street Bridge

South of Wilmington over the Christiana River

8. Walkway between DuPont and Nemours buildings

9. Samuel Newlin House, DEL-37

423-425 French Street

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F39 10. Ann Newlin House, DEL-36

108-110 East 5^th Street

11. Rte. 82, crossing the Hoopes Reservoir, Delaware Guide Tour 6C

F40 Wilmington (cont’d)

12. Banning House, front elevation, DEL-43

13. Samuel Canby House, DEL-11

Stairway

14. Samuel Canby House, DEL-11

Marble fireplace

15. Samuel Canby House, DEL-11

Stairway and landing

16. Samuel Canby House, DEL-11

Brick fireplace

17. Samuel Canby House, DEL-11

Fireplace

18. Samuel Canby House, DEL-11

Closeup of fireplace and andirons

19. William Lea House, front elevation, DEL-31, 1901 N. Market St.

20. William Smith House, front elevation, DEL-30, 1905 N. Market St.

21. Emma Strauss Property, DEL-35

Also known as Clayton House

22. Derickson House, front elevation, DEL-34

1801 N. Market Street

23. German Hall, DEL-41

24. Gibbons House, DEL-27

Market Street elevation, built 1830

25. Gibbons House, DEL-27

Back and garden, southwest elevation, built 1830

26. Latimer House, DEL-44

Rear elevation

27. John Marot House, Market Street elevation, DEL-29

1203-1205 Market Street

28. Richardson House in Richardson Park, Del-45

Dates from 1723

29. Jacob Sharp House, DEL-40

Dating from 1850

30. Jacob Starr House, DEL-26

Detail of front entrance

31. Jacob Starr House, DEL-26

View of stairway and door

32. Jacob Starr House, DEL-26

Detail of marble fireplace

Series II. New Castle County (cont’d)

F40 33. Jacob Starr House, DEL-26

Rear elevation. Dutch Oven in the shed on the right

34. “Old Swedes” Holy Trinity Church, 9-2

View of the entrance and arches between buildings, church built May 26, 1698, National Historic Landmark

35. Old Town Hall

37. Unidentified house

38. Charles I. DuPont Home, DEL-66

F41 Wilmington (cont'd)

39. View of the Christiana River from the S. Market Street Bridge

40. Wilmington Marine Terminal, unloading cork from Portugal

41. View of a boat being loaded at the Wilmington Marine Terminal

42. View of a boat being loaded at the Wilmington Marine Terminal

43. Harlan Plant

44. Harlan Plant

45. Brandywine Park, memorial to William Marriott Canby

First president of Board of Park Commissioners, Delaware Guide, p. 301

46. Washington Street Bridge

View from the Brandywine, Delaware Guide, p. 273

47. Rockford Park

Water Tower

48. Rockford Park

Main steps

49. USA Work Program (WPA) administrative offices

With 1638 commemorative mural over the entrance

50. WPA painting in progress

Mural to commemorate the 300^th anniversary of the landing of the Swedes in 1638

51. Exhibition WPA, arts project for Delaware

Street-front display of paintings in windows

F42 Wilmington Vicinity

36. Tussey House, DEL-49

Side view

Series III. Sussex County

F43 Fenwick Island

1. Fenwick Island Lighthouse

Eastern boundary between Delaware and Maryland, published in Delaware Guide, p. 392

F44 Georgetown

1. “The Judges,” corner of Market and Front Streets

F45 Laurel

1. [Mill Pond] Causeway bordered with bald cypress trees

Near Laurel

2. [Mill Pond] Causeway bordered with bald cypress trees

Near Laurel

3. [Delmarva Camp] Methodist camp meeting, Delaware Guide, Tour 1D

4. [Delmarva Camp] Methodist camp meeting, Delaware Guide, Tour 1D

11. Christ Church

Published in Delaware Guide, p. 515

F46 Nanticoke River

1. Cannon’s Ferry

Crossing the Nanticoke River

2. Cannon’s Ferry

Crossing the Nanticoke River

F47 Pocomoke River

1. Pocomoke River Swamp, near Gumboro, Delaware Guide, Tour 15

2. Pocomoke River Swamp, near Gumboro, Delaware Guide, Tour 15

F48 Rehoboth

1. Large wooden house

2. “The Pines,” DEL-77

F49 Reliance

1. Patty Cannon House and Tavern

Near Seaford

2. Patty Cannon House and Tavern

Near Seaford

F50 Riverdale

1. Chief Clark Store, Delaware Guide [p. 506], Tour 15

On the Indian River

2. Chief Clark Store,

On the Indian River

Series III. Sussex County (cont’d)

F51 Seaford

1. Dulaney House

Near Seaford

2. Dulaney House

Entrance, near Seaford

3. Dulaney House

Entrance, near Seaford

F52 Sussex County

1. Rear view of an old house

2. Old farmhouse with a man in a mule drawn wagon

4. Back country barn

5. A rural residence

6. Man plowing fields with mules

7. Orchard

8. Close up of peach trees

9. Peach blossoms

10. More peach blossoms

11. More peach blossoms

Series IV. Unidentified locations

F53 Unidentified locations

1. Water scene [possibly Hoopes Reservoir]

2. River scene with men in a small boat

3. Road scene - Modern concrete highway

4. Road scene - Modern concrete highway

5. Ferry scene

6. Factory scene

7. Wirt Willis’ dairy

8. Farmer loading a wagon with hay

9. Chicken farm

10. Farmhouse

16. Advertisement for clocks, Leavenworth Company of Waterbury, Connecticut, dated 1833, with U.S. Census for 1830 (Delaware pop. 76,748)

17. Advertisement for clocks, Leavenworth Company of Waterbury, Connecticut, dated 1833

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