Friday October 23rd

Welcome & Opening Remarks 9:00

Dee Durham, Preservation Delaware President

Rebecca Wilson, Preservation Delaware Education Committee Chair

Alex Tarantina, Preservation Delaware Board

Session 1: 9:30 -10:30

Speaker: Kara Briggs, Architectural Historian Division of Cultural Affairs, Division Historical & Cultural Affairs, State of Delaware

Title: Wallace Eugene Hance (1888-1943): Designs for Life; An Exploration of His Architectural Works 

This session originated from a simple question and developed into the discovery of an intriguing Delaware architect, his life story, and expansive breadth of work that had become forgotten over time or lost to the wrecking ball. In his nearly 30-year professional career, Wallace E. Hance designed over 300 buildings across four different states: the bulk of his work was based in Wilmington and across Delaware. Some of his most notable designs are educational, religious, and residential structures. He was known for his versatility, attention to detail, modern designs, and incorporation of the latest comforts and amenities (such as the first elevator designed for, and installed in, a Delaware residential building). His thoughtful architectural designs included a focused attention to visual details and overall well-being by creating physical spaces that offered its occupants improved health, mental well-being and improved quality of life. This session focuses on the remarkable man while offering a sample of his versatile breadth of work.

BIOGRAPHY

Kara A. Briggs is an Architectural Historian with the Delaware Department of State’s Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs (HCA), having more than twenty years of combined experience in historic preservation, architectural survey, and cultural resource management. Her career includes extensive work in both public and private sectors, from managing multi state NEPA compliance and Section 106 reviews to leading field documentation, as well as authoring historic structure surveys and effect determinations for cultural resource firms. She previously held curatorial and collections management positions with the University of Delaware’s Center for Historic Architecture & Design, the Delaware Historical Society, the John Dickinson Plantation, and the Andrew Low House, where she oversaw collections care, exhibitions, field documentation, and public interpretation.

In her role with HCA, Kara performs environmental reviews under Section 106 and Section 110 originating from Federal agencies and/or applicants for federal assistances. One of her primary responsibilities is serving as the manager of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit (HPTC) Program; leading reviews of Federal and State HPTC applications and historic building rehabilitation plans.  

Kara holds an M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy with a concentration in Historic Preservation, and a Museum Studies Certificate from the University of Delaware, and a B.A. in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art & Design. She is dedicated to the documentation and preservation of Mid‑Atlantic historic resources and is listed as one of the key contributors to the Vernacular Architecture Forum Annual Meeting 2025: “From New Castle to Sussex: Big Stories from a Small State.” Kara is passionate about community centered preservation and the relevance of the past in our life, culture, and community today.

Session 2: 10:40 – 11:40

Speaker: Danielle Parsons, C. Russell McCabe, & Barton Ross 

Title: History & Preservation Cannon Matsen House, Outside of Seaford, Delaware

The presentation will be about the history and restoration of the Cannon-Masten house on Atlanta Road just outside Seaford DE.  Since purchasing the 60-acre parcel in 2008, the Sussex County Land Trust has worked with many groups and professionals to ensure the proper restoration of the 1727/33 MD Hall/Parlor house on the property, to implement a park plan including trails and interpretation, and moving and restoring the 1911 bungalow at the site to be used as a Rural Life Museum/Visitor Center to show visitors how people lived in rural Sussex before and after WWII.  Russ McCabe will discuss the Sussex Couty Land Trust involvement and the past and future of the site; Barton Ross as principal architect will discuss the restoration that has occurred up to this point, and the master plan he has been hired to complete.  Dan Parsons will discuss the site and how continued development will help inform visitors of the history of the region as a whole and the Cannon Family’s place in it. 

BIOGRAPHY

Danielle Parsons

Dan Parsons is the Historic Preservation Planner and Records Manager for Sussex County, Delaware, in charge of determining the relative cultural and historic resources of Sussex, as well as managing and organizing records material generated by County departments. Prior to his work in Sussex, he was Curator and Folklorist for the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, responsible for publications and exhibitions and all public programs dealing with the traditional arts and heritage of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Dan has a B.A. in History from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a B.A. in Communications and an M.A. in Environmental History from Salisbury University. His research dealt extensively with the history and culture of local maritime communities, and he is committed to helping educate people about the communities of Delmarva and their customs.

Since becoming Historic Preservation Planner for Sussex County, Dan has engaged eagerly with the public in promoting the history and heritage of Sussex County. He helps to aid the citizens of Sussex County in their efforts to preserve its character, promote the customs and heritage important to its citizens, and assist those interested in connecting to local and state agencies whose goals are to preserve the history and heritage of the region. He currently is a member of the Delaware 250th Committee, the Delaware Preservation Fund, the Nanticoke Heritage Byway, member of the Board of Directors of the Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury University, and member of the Sussex County History Tourism Committee. County Land Trust, the Town of Smyrna, the Town of Lewes, the Richard Allen Coalition, and indefinite on-call services with the DE Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, including preservation planning at the Old Delaware State House and the Octagonal Schoolhouse near Dover. He is a graduate of the Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design and received master’s degrees from Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.

C. Russell McCabe

Russ McCabe is a native and lifelong resident of Sussex County, Delaware. A graduate of
Radford University (VA), he was employed at the Delaware Public Archives from 1978 until his
retirement as State Archivist and Division Director in 2009. During his long career he was
responsible for such activities as the drafting of Delaware’s first comprehensive public records
law, the creation of a series of public programs commemorating Delaware’s rich history and
heritage, and efforts to construct a new State Archives facility. His advocacy and commitment
to the preservation and celebration of the history of his native state was recognized with his
selection by Governor Jack Markell as the recipient of the Governor’s Heritage Award in 2009.
In addition to his career of service at the Delaware Public Archives, Russ was also elected to
serve as Sussex County Recorder of Deeds from 1987-91. He has been a participant in the work of numerous groups and organizations, serving as a member of the Delaware Humanities
Council, Delaware State Historic Preservation Review Board, Preservation Delaware, and the
Delaware Heritage Commission, among others. He is a past president, vice president, and
member of the boards of the Georgetown and Milton Historical Societies. In 2011, Russ assisted the Delaware Tourism Office with the creation of the Delaware History Trail, designed to educate residents and visitors alike about the fascinating and diverse stories of the First State’s people and places.

He is Past Chair of the Commission on Archives and History of the Peninsula-Delaware
Conference of the United Methodist Church, a former member of the board of Salisbury
University’s Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, and presently serves as Trustee
Emeritus of the Sussex County Land Trust. He is a founding Friend of Delaware Technical &
Community College’s Williams Conference Center and Museum, and a proud member of the
Delaware Society Sons of the American Revolution since 1993. His latest venture is the
upcoming podcast series Downstate Delaware: Crossroads of American History.

Barton Ross

Barton Ross is a historic architect and president of Barton Ross & Partners, LLC Architects, where he leads preservation projects across the Mid-Atlantic Region. In his 20+ years as an architect specializing in historic preservation and restoration, Ross has made a lasting impact on our cultural landscape by contributing to nearly 1,500 historic projects across several states. His professional work has been recognized by the Society of Architectural Historians, the American Institute of Architects, and the National Park Service. Barton has collaborated on local planning and historic preservation matters with the Delaware River & Bay Authority, the Laurel Redevelopment Corporation, Sussex County, Delaware.

Session 3: 11:50-12:35

Speaker: Laura Earles, Director of the George Read II House & Gardens, Delaware Historical Society

Title: Landscape Preservation & Restoration of the Read House Gardens

New Visions for a Historic Landscape: Garden Revitalization at the Read House
This presentation will give an overview of the history of the Read House gardens and the development of the current construction project. This project prioritizes the preservation of our unique Victorian garden design while monitoring our archaeological record, repairing brickwork, improving drainage, and enhancing accessibility for our visitors. As we approach the completion of construction, our team is developing innovative programming for our gardens.

BIOGRAPHY

Laura Earls has been the Director of the George Read II House & Gardens since 2024. Prior to this position, she held several internships and graduate assistant positions in Delaware museums while she earned a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies and a Ph.D. from the History of American Civilization Program at the University of Delaware.

Lunch/Break: 12:35-1:25

Session 4: 1:30-2:10

Speaker: Seth Hinshaw, Historic Preservation Specialist, FEMA

Title: Historic Building Elements: Doors Throughout History

The presentation delves into the history of residential doors. Beginning with a door thought to be the oldest surviving door in the nation (circa 1700), the presentation moves through the general classes of doors: batten, paneled, sash, and veneered. The presentation is organized chronologically and covers developments in door production as technology improved over time as well as changes in the aesthetics of door design.

BIOGRAPHY

Seth Hinshaw has been working in the field of historic preservation since 2000. After earning a bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in History from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Seth earned a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked for the firm Wise Preservation Planning based in Chester County. He drafted the nomination forms for two properties resulting in their listing as National Historic Landmarks and forms for 18 properties or historic districts now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. His cultural resource surveys include several municipalities in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Erie County (Pennsylvania) survey, and municipal surveys in central New Jersey. He has donated his time to share expertise to help train historic preservation professionals and historical commissions, including his presentation on how to describe the interior of a historic house. His book A Field Guide to American Residential Doors assists preservation professionals in evaluating the ages of this sometimes overlooked element of architecture.

Session 5: 2:20 – 3:30

Speaker: Tera Hayward-Olivas

Title: Restoration of Read House Doors

BIOGRAPHY

Buena Vista In-Person Sessions

Saturday, October 24th, 661 S. DuPont Hwy, New Castle, DE 19720

Doors Open: 1:00pm

Welcome & Annual Meeting

Dee Durham, Preservation Delaware President

Rebecca Wilson, Preservation Delaware Education Committee Chair

Speaker: Liz Allen

Title: Tribute to Mike Purzycki

BIOGRAPHY

Liz Allen is the Garden Manager and Horticulturist for Preservation Delaware, Inc., overseeing the restoration and stewardship of the Marian Coffin Gardens at Gibraltar. Her responsibilities include horticultural management, volunteer coordination, public programming, community outreach, grant writing, and fundraising. Her work emphasizes balancing historic landscape preservation with ecological restoration, environmental sustainability, and community engagement.

Liz holds an Ecological Gardening Certificate from Mt. Cuba Center, completed the University of Delaware's Master Naturalist program in 2020, and earned a certificate in Social Media. She also holds a B.A. in Anthropology and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) from the University of Delaware. Liz taught ESL for nine years before founding an ecological landscaping business and has also taught courses for Mt. Cuba Center and the University of Delaware's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). 

Speaker: Courtny Lynahan, curator of Historic Structures, Division of historical and Cultural Affairs, State of Delaware

Session Title: Preservation & History of Buena Vista

BIOGRAPHY

Speaker: Ruth Linton, Owner of the Highland Orchards

Session Title: Highland Orchards c.1832 6th Generation Farmstead

This session will give an overview of the history of the family Farm known as Highland
Orchards, located on Foulk Road. The farm has been in the Webster family since 1832
and continues to work as an active form today. The Barn dates to the 1840s. The house
is listed on the 1832 deed and has been added on to several times and its history.

BIOGRAPHY

Biography: Ruth Linton is the sixth generation of the family to run the Farm. She has a graduate degree in history from the University of Delaware. She worked as the carrier at Nemour‘s mansion and Gardens from 1987 to 1996, then ran an art gallery in Boulder, Colorado for 10 years. Returning to the family Farm has been like running a living history, museum, surrounded by buildings and artifacts from prior generations. A native Delaware, Ruth enjoys the challenges of educating the public about Delaware‘s agricultural history.

Speaker: John M. Barineau, Instructor, Osher Lifelong Learning Program

Session Title: Exploring the Goodstay Greenhill Farmstead of UDs Wilmington Campus

John will introduce Goodstay, once known as Green Hill, an 18th-century farmstead whose history reflects many strands of Delaware’s cultural and community heritage. The session will focus on preserving the Goodstay house, built in 1740 and possibly Wilmington’s oldest surviving house, the stone barn, built in 1807 and possibly the oldest surviving barn in Delaware, and open land.  The farmstead story spans the Lenni Lenape; New Sweden, Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, and 130 years of Swedish-descended farming; Quaker families connected to the Underground Railroad and Wilmington’s leather industry; the city’s defenses during three wars; illustrator Howard Pyle’s childhood and legacy; the historic Goodstay Gardens; German festivals and recreation at the Fairgrounds and Wilmington Country Club; early aviation; seven generations and a century of du Pont family life and achievement; and the University of Delaware’s continuing service to the community.

BIOGRAPHY

John M. Barineau is a student in the University of Delaware’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a program for adults over 50. He leads an OLLI ECO Team dedicated to preserving or adaptively reusing the Goodstay/Green Hill farmstead on the University of Delaware campus. Barineau holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the University of Delaware. During a 45-year career at DuPont, he worked in business development and capital projects. He leads maintenance, project, and native plant garden efforts at his church. His lifelong interest in history and preservation is rooted in his family’s connections to the Revolutionary War Battle of Ramsour’s Mill and Cornwallis’s Burning of the Baggage in Lincolnton, North Carolina. He is also a descendant and family owner of the site of the 1811 Schenck-Warlick cotton mill, the first cotton mill in the South. He has researched and written about family history and socioeconomic development

Session Title: 60th Anniversary of the National Preservation Act: Success Stories and New Challenges

Moderator: Greg Shelton, Preservation Delaware Board 

 Panelist: Debbie Martin, Preservation Planner, City of Wilmington; Wade Catts, RPA, President & Principal, South River Heritage

Reception

Become a Sponsor today!  Add your support, and your Logo!

We invite your participation in the 2026 annual conference, to be held on October 23rd and October 24th with a wide array of topics, by becoming a sponsor.  As a sponsor, your logo will be included in all sessions of the conference, on the PDI web site, in social media posts, and in our e-newsletter.

To become a sponsor please either SUBMIT ONLINE or fill out the form linked below and either email it to info@preservationde.org or mail it to:

Thank you! Call for Papers is now Closed!

Do you have an idea for a webinar or a presentaion? Please reach out to our Education Committee info@preservationde.org with information.

A Preservation Delaware 2026 Annual Conference Call for Papers - Abstract Submission

Preservation Delaware, Inc. is soliciting presentations and papers for the 2026 Annual Conference.

All presentation and paper abstracts are due by 11:59pm on August 7, 2026

Please contact Rebecca Wilson (rlwj1973@gmail.com) with any questions.

Preservation Delaware’s 2026 Annual Conference will be held on October 23 & 24 2026.  October 23 will take place virtually over Zoom and October 24 in person at Buena Vista Estate in Delaware. We are seeking presentations and papers on a range of topics related to historic preservation, primarily focusing on topics in Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic region, but also including more general topics relevant to our region. Presentations and papers should be no longer than forty (40) minutes in length. Submissions will be accepted electronically via Google Forms.

Applicants whose proposals are selected will be notified by August 21, 2026. Presenters will receive timely instructions and details on preparing for the conference. The conference program and registration    information will follow, but be sure to save the dates and spread the word!

The Annual Conference Planning Committee has identified several topics and/or areas of interest for sessions and presentations, but we welcome other topics and ideas as well! 

Threatened Buildings & Sites in Delaware
Historic Preservation & Accessibility
Historic Preservation & Sustainability
Stewardship of Historic Properties
Historic trades, rehabs, etc
Historic Preservation & Disaster Planning
Diversity and Inclusivity in Historic Preservation
Agricultural History and Historic Foodways
Learning from Delaware’s Historic Sites
Anything relating to preservation in the last 250 years