There are so many abandoned places in Wilmington! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Wilmington. Browse through all abandoned places in Wilmington
Gibraltar Mansion is an abandoned palatial home in Wilmington, Delaware dating back to the 1800s. The building was at a point called Hugh Rodney Sharp Mansion after his owner at the time, Hugh Rodney Sharp. After years of existence, the estate home was abandoned and left to rot by the owners to date.
Gibraltar Mansion was built in 1844 by John Rodney Brinckle. The aim of the building was to be a gift for his lover who later denied his love. Having trouble through the process of construction, John instead decided to use the building as a place where he went when he needed peace of mind. He also used the building to carry out his horticultural experiments and to entertain his family and relatives. After only four years of living in the extensive house alone, John invited his brother’s family to give him company.
The house would later change hands when the brother purchased the house from his brother and became the owner instead of a guest. Samuel (the brother) went on to develop the house by beautifying the compound through the planting of flowers and landscaping. The building was later inherited by the wife and then the children after the death of their parents. Gibraltar Mansion which was at this time used to change hands from one owner to another changed hands once more in 1909 when Hugh Rodney Sharp purchased it and renamed it the Hugh Rodney Sharp building.
After Rodney’s death, the estate was inherited by the son who seemed not to be an enthusiast of what his old man liked, especially horticulture. For this reason, the estate was left unmaintained and unattended for years leading to the garden overgrowing and overlapping in the house. It was also unoccupied and unmaintained which also contributed to its rapid deterioration and decay. The estate again was put up for sale after his death and was bought by a preservation organization that wanted to save the building from demolition.
The estate was transformed into a historical garden after being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours and visits were permitted in the botanical garden until a plan to transform the large estate into a restaurant was made, effectively closing it down. These intentions never materialized owing to competing ideas between the two companies, resulting in the building being abandoned for the second time.
Today, the building which covers half a city block is still abandoned and uncared for. The mansion can barely be seen over the overgrown garden that overlaps up to the roof of the building. The building has deteriorated beyond recognition over the years and the two organizations that had plans to restore it have since fallen back to rethink a better strategy. Due to its dilapidated condition, the estate is not open to the general public to visit or tour.
Bancroft Mills is an abandoned building complex built in 1803 by resident Joseph Bancroft. Bancroft building which is located in Wilmington, Delaware was the largest and the best textile miller in the whole United States of America. The building was later on abandoned in 1961 when textile producers left the region for the South.
Joseph Bancroft for years worked for a local textile milling industry in Delaware. Through the experience and connections, he gathered at the Midlands mill where he worked, he was able to establish his mill at the age of 28. From 1831 when the mill’s construction was completed, it was expanded and modified several times so that it was able to accommodate the supply of textile it had. By 1880, the Bancroft mill had been modified more than five times, expanding to be the largest mill in the whole of the United States. Apart from working on their clothes as normal mills do, Bancroft mill worked on both their high-quality cloths which they made from scratch but also completed some technical designs that other mills couldn’t. The mill had several blocks and employees getting lost within the vast building was the order of the day. Over 5000 Wilmington locals’ were employed by Bancroft mill only. It operated for thirteen decades before its business declined.
Joseph Bancroft died at the beginning of the twentieth century, and his son Samuel Bancroft took over the family company. As a simple and hardworking individual, he ensured that business continued as usual following his father's death. The enterprise continued to prosper and expand, eventually encompassing over 600 acres of land. During the growth, the mill also combined with other lesser mills in town, which not only opened doors for new business but also helped shape
Bancroft Mill's production. However, amid the 1900s, textile production began to reduce in the northern states of the country. Most of the producers saw more lucrative opportunities in the south and therefore took their business to the South. This left Wilmington with an insanely large mill with no textile to mill. Workers were all laid off and the mill was permanently closed in 1961. It was later sold to Indian Head Mills.
Indian Head Mills did not have the funds to maintain the mill operational and sold it to Wilmington Piece Dye. The firm functioned in the buildings until 2003 when they declared bankruptcy and closed them down. The structure had degraded beyond recognition at this point. Despite being worn out and decaying, the building changed ownership throughout the years and was purchased by a real estate firm planning to establish an apartment complex on the site. The structure was converted into contemporary apartments, which are now available for rent. Unauthorized visits to "The Falls Apartments" are no longer permitted.
Glenville is a small abandoned town along the Delaware state Route 4 west of Newport. The town was not like other mining boom towns or railroad towns, its survival relied on Bread and Cheese Island. The town existed for more than 9 decades until the late 20th century when several hazardous events led to its closure and abandonment.
Glenville town began as a small community near Red Clay Creek that relied on fishing and small-scale farming for sustainability. It was on a relatively loamy and fertile soil supported by surplus water from the nearby rivers and lakes. Glenville was a typical communal town where everybody knew each other and shared their produce with each other. One would say that they lived like the heyday communities and kingdoms. However, with time this changed with development and modernization colonized the small town. It was at this developing phase that permanent residences, hotels, a post office, two schoolhouses, and several stores were established. The town was soon one of the towns to watch in Delaware. Over the years the town did well enough that no one thought that one day it would be completely deserted by its residents.
Glenville's location was prone to floods and flash floods, which were occasionally managed. Though the authorities made every effort to mitigate the consequences of flooding on the community, they never found a long-term solution. This eventually came back to haunt them and the community as a succession of hurricanes, storms, and floods struck the town over a three-year period. It all started with Hurricane Floyd, which hit the town in 1999, causing massive devastation to both property and life. 3 years later, Tropical Storm Henri finished the work that his close friend Hurricane Floyd was unable to complete. This too claimed a fair share of destruction and lives. The aftermath of the Tropical storm left the flood flooded and the residents had to be relocated to safer grounds. All their properties were bought by the local and state government.
The town was completely deserted when the local and state government took over the town and relocated the residents to other towns and cities. The government seeing a threat in the townsite, fenced the whole townsite with concrete walls to bar curious onlookers from endangering their lives as they tour the area. Demolition of some of the structures that looked weak and obsolete began shortly after the abandonment. Some of the buildings were left to serve as a historical reminder of a town that once was. Glenville town is out of bounds to any local who may want to visit the town.