The Redden Forest Complex is located in

Redden State Forest Delaware has three state forests, one in each county, totaling more than . These natural resource areas are managed by thDelaware Department of Agriculture Forest Servicesee also Delaware State Forests Blackbird State Forest Located north of Smyrn ...

Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County is located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 237,378. The county seat is Georgetown. The first European settlement in the state of Delaware w ...

. Now known as the Redden Forest Education Center, the complex includes three Shingle style buildings built in 1900-1902 as a hunting retreat for

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

heir Frank Graham Thompson. The complex was served by a specially built railroad siding in Redden Crossroads. The camp fell into disuse during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and was acquired by the state of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

in the 1930s. It saw use by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

, then the complex and the surrounding property were designated Redden State Forest in 1937.

Description

The present complex comprises three buildings, all of wood frame construction using cypress timber frames. The stable and forester's house are at the entrance to the property. The lodge is about to the east, about from the rail line. The lodge is a shallow V-shape in plan, of 1-1/2 stories on a brick foundation with no basement, with cypress shingle siding. The roof, originally covered with wood shingles, is now covered in asphalt shingles, with broad overhanging eaves. The central portion is seven bays wide, flanked by wings of seven bays each. The center portion contains a large lobby with exposed roof structure and two large brick fireplaces. This space is flanked by a dining room and a smaller gun room. The dining room contains wood paneling reputedly taken from an 18th-century

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

house. The lodge retains its original Mission style furnishings, although the south wings was reconstructed following fire damage from a 1970 lightning strike. Cedar shingles replaced the cypress in the reconstruction. Redden Center

The stable is T-shaped. The front of the stable is a projecting porch under a deeply hooded hipped roof, with a large arched doorway leading into a carriage house. On either side wings extend under the extended roof with additional storage on the north side and a

tack TACK is a group of archaea acronym for Thaumarchaeota (now Nitrososphaerota), Aigarchaeota, Crenarchaeota (now Thermoproteota), and Korarchaeota, the first groups discovered. They are found in different environments ranging from acidophilic the ...

room on the south side. Stabling was to the rear, with the original eight stalls now removed. The attic space over the entry is finished. An octagonal cupola tops the center of the roof. A matching kennel formerly stood to the rear of the stable, but was demolished after 1937. The forester's house differs from the stable and the lodge, with Colonial Revival detailing added to the shingle style. The house has a gambrel roof with three dormers on each side and a full basement. A porch extends across the central portion of the rear of the house, accessed by two French doors The interior comprises a living room, dining room, hallway and kitchen on the first floor, with six bedrooms on the second floor. A nearby garage matches the house.

Present use

The Redden Forest Education Center houses displays and classroom space for school activities and tours. It is managed by the Delaware Department of Agriculture Forestry division. The Redden complex was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on November 25, 1980.

References

External links

Redden State Forest and Education Center
{{National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Shingle Style architecture in Delaware Houses completed in 1900 Buildings and structures in Sussex County, Delaware Civilian Conservation Corps in Delaware Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Nature centers in Delaware National Register of Historic Places in Sussex County, Delaware