List of the oldest buildings in Delaware

This article attempts to list the oldest extant buildings surviving in the state of Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

in the United States of America, including the oldest houses in Delaware and any other surviving structures. Some dates are approximate and based upon dendrochronology

Dendrochronology

Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...

, architectural studies, and historical records. Sites on the list are generally from the First Period

First Period

First Period is a designation in colonial American architecture and design. It refers to the time period of approximately 1626 through 1725. Its successor is the Colonial Georgian Period.-Characteristics:...

of American architecture or earlier.
To be listed here a site must:

date from prior to 1776; or
be the oldest building in a county, large city, or oldest of its type (church, government building, etc.),

Building	Location	First Built	Use	Notes
Block House Block House The Block House is a historic building located off Naamans Road in Claymont, Delaware. The Block House is believed to be the only structure remaining of original settlement on Naaman's Creek.-History:...	Claymont, Delaware Claymont, Delaware Claymont is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 9,220 at the 2000 census.-History:...	1654	Defense	Possibly the oldest building in Delaware, however, some date the building to ca. 1723
Ryves Holt House Ryves Holt House Ryves Holt House is purportedly the oldest surviving house in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is located at 218 Second Street in Lewes, Delaware....	Lewes, Delaware Lewes, Delaware Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....	1665	Residence	Likely the oldest house in Delaware
Lombardy Hall Lombardy Hall Lombardy Hall was the home of Gunning Bedford, Jr., a delegate to the constitutional convention and a signer of the U.S. constitution.It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974....	Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...	1683 (earliest part)	Residence	National Historic Landmark (NHL), home to Gunning Bedford, Jr. Gunning Bedford, Jr. Gunning Bedford, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He served in the Delaware General Assembly, as a Continental Congressman from Delaware and as a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787. He is often confused with his cousin,... , a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and a signer of the U.S. Constitution.
Belmont Hall Belmont Hall (Smyrna, Delaware) Belmont Hall is a Georgian house near Smyrna, Delaware, built about 1753 by Thomas Collins, who would become the sixth governor of Delaware. The front façade faces US 13.-Description:...	Smyrna, Delaware Smyrna, Delaware Smyrna is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area...	1685 (earliest part)	Residence	large Georgian addition built about 1753 by Thomas Collins Thomas Collins (governor) Thomas Collins was an American planter and politician from Smyrna, in Kent County, Delaware. He was an officer of the Delaware militia during the American Revolution, and served in the Delaware General Assembly and as President of Delaware.-Early life and family:Collins was born in Duck Creek, now... , who would become the sixth governor of Delaware.
Hendrickson House Hendrickson House Hendrickson House is one of the oldest houses in the U.S. state of Delaware and one of the oldest surviving Swedish-American homes in the United States....	Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley... from Chester, Pennsylvania Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...	1690	Residence	Moved from Chester, PA to Wilmington, DE in 1958
Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes is a church in Wilmington, Delaware that is a National Historic Landmark. It was dedicated on July 4, 1699.-History:...	Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...	1698	Religious	Oldest Swedish Church in the United States
Barratt's Chapel Barratt's Chapel Barratt's Chapel is a chapel in Kent County, Delaware. It was built in 1780, on land donated by Philip Barratt, a prominent political figure in the area. Barratt, who had recently become a Methodist, wanted to build a center for the growing Methodist movement in Delaware.Barratt's Chapel is the...	Frederica, Delaware Frederica, Delaware Frederica is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 774 at the 2010 census...	1780	Religious	Oldest Methodist church building in the U.S.
New Castle County Court House New Castle County Court House New Castle Court House Museum, also known as New Castle Courthouse Museum, is the center of a circle with a 12-mile radius that defines most of the border of the states of Delaware and Pennsylvania and a small part of the border of Delaware and Maryland...	New Castle, Delaware New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...	1775	Government	One of the oldest continuously used courthouses in America

See also