History next door

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared December 14, 2006 in The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

Both Lynda and John Finis dislike cookie-cutter houses. Certainly their new house on Stone Barn Lane in Sedgley Farms will never be mistaken for one.

The former Downingtown, Pa., couple bought the 1740 Four Mile Tavern on Lancaster Pike last fall. They’ve built a large Pennsylvania-style farmhouse behind it. Now they are painstakingly restoring the former tavern and "linking it" to the new structure. Along the way builder John Finis has discovered the high cost of restoring a 266-year-old property on The National Register of Historic Places.

Long neglected, the property was declared "structurally unsound" by consulting engineers. The oldest portion of the house — exposed knotty chestnut beams — had to be jacked up to hold it in place for restoration.

"The right side [of the house] sat two feet lower than the left." said Finis. lt will soon be covered with new cedar lap-siding.

"We’re putting it on to protect it. lt will be here 200 years." Finis added. The cost of the restoration is expected to total $200,000. Besides his own workers, Finis has enlisted the help of 18th Century Renovations of Pottstown, Pa. lt's the same firm that recently restored Tweeds Tavern in Hockessin.

We’re trying to do the best that we can to bring it [the tavern] to its historic glory, and we hope that people will agree with us," said Finis.

"We wanted to build something that would blend and flow together with the old house," said Lynda Finis.

"We integrated some of the old with some of the new. We tried to keep a farmhouse on a farmhouse."

The Finises’ new stone and stucco farmhouse is large but not massive — with solid heart-cherry floors, pewter hardware, hand-hewn beams and deep crown molding. There are two front entrances and two staircases. The heart of the house is a spacious kitchen, which has a commercial-sized stove. The paint colors were selected from a historic Charleston line.

Upstairs are five bedrooms and four baths. The master bath is of limestone floor tile imported from Jerusalem and marble and granite shower tile from Italy. Daughters Isabela, 6, and Sophia, 3, chose their favorite colors — pink and lavender — for their bedrooms.

A large deck of solid mahogany is still being built. It overlooks the acre—plus lot and the girls’ playground. The unfinished basement will eventually contain a playroom, stone wine cellar and home theater.

"The Link" is the name the Finises have given the one—story connecting wing to the tavern. For structural reasons, workers had to stay four feet off the foundation of the old house. A concrete pier connects the two houses. The new house sits at an angle to the old one. A cobblestone courtyard will connect the two.

Inside "the Link" is a cozy library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. When completed, the former tavern will contain two home offices and three guest bedrooms. John Finis said he's gotten "tons of compliments" on the tavern's restoration.

Neighbors Stacey Lauer and her husband, Chris, have watched the new house go up and the tavern restored.

"I think it's wonderful what they've done," said Stacey Lauer. "They've kept the integrity of the whole tavern along with building a new house which matches the architecture of the tavern ... It's tastefully done. The tavern has just taken on a whole new look."

Finis said Sedgley Farms' mixture of housing styles - traditional stone colonials to contemporaries - is what attracted his family to the neighborhood. One unusual house is an all-steel home owned by Vicki and Bob Winton. Another vintage house - the 1803 Jacob Stilley Toll House - is also on the National Register. Most of the original houses are on two-acre lots. Several of the properties are currently being subdivided and will have new houses built on them.

"Change is happening everywhere, and it's happening in Sedgley Farms," said Vicki Winton, who's lived there for 50 years.

Winton called the Finises' new house "a beauty."

"There's a touch of uniqueness about it, and Sedgley Farms is all about being unique."

Tavern has close ties to farming

The structure at 4921 Lancaster Pike has a rich history.

Built about 1740, the former inn and tavern has had three names. Originally known as Oak Hill Inn, it was later changed to the Four Mile Tavern because it was four miles from downtown Wilmington. In 1780, owner Charles Springer added a stone addition to the tavern and changed the name to the Charles Springer Tavern.

Years ago, Chester County farmers drove their horse-drawn wagons to the inn. After staying overnight, they left for Wilmington to sell their wares. For 50 cents, the farmers received lodging, two meals and feed for their horses. This was recounted by the tavern’s last occupant, Kennard Potts, who lived there until his death in 2002.

Potts and his wife moved to the house in 1933 when it was part of the William Rupert Dairy Farm. They bought the place in 1946. Since 1933, the Pottses operated a vegetable stand in front of the house, selling produce from the Rupert farm and later from their own. Potts said people stood in line to buy their corn and tomatoes. In addition, the Pottses sold zinnias and gladioluses. Potts' son, Kennard L. Potts, grew up in the house and now lives in Wilmington.

"When you get an old house, it is kind of incumbent upon you to restore it," he said. "We're very pleased that John [Finis] has decided to restore it. That's a real positive sign. I hope he and his family will be very happy there."