Hockessin: Nature and History

Hockessin combines nature with a layered local history. When planning your trip, you can decide whether to focus on the landscape, botanical conservation, or historic sites. Ashland Nature Center and Mt. Cuba Center represent different aspects of nature; the Meetinghouse, school, and Agricultural Complex offer different historical perspectives. You can also take tours of Auburn Heights Mansion and ride a steam train from Greenbank to Hockessin.

Nature: Landscapes and Plant Conservation

Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin encompasses 130 acres of woodlands, meadows, and wetlands along scenic Red Clay Creek. Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin has a different focus: this botanical garden is dedicated to conserving native plants and their habitats. This distinction can help guide your choice of places to visit: at Ashland Nature Center, the different landscape types and the creek shape the experience; at Mt. Cuba Center, the focus is on preserving native plants and their habitats. Both places are about nature, but from different perspectives.

Local History in Buildings and Memorial Sites

The Cox-Phillips-Mitchell Agricultural Complex reflects changes in farming practices over nearly 300 years and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. It includes “Ocasson,” a brick house built in 1726 by William and Catherine Cox, with Flemish-bond masonry. Thus, within the same complex, a specifically named house from the early 18th century sits alongside a long history of agricultural development. Its addition to the register in 2017 is a distinct historical milestone.

Hockessin Friends Meetinghouse reveals several layers of history. The one-story fieldstone building was constructed in 1738 and expanded with a side addition in 1745. In colonial Hockessin, it became a center of social and religious life. On September 9, 1777, British troops under the command of Lord Cornwallis camped there on their way to the Battle of Brandywine. The building’s history and the military episode shed light on different aspects of the same place.

Hockessin School #107C, also known as Hockessin Colored School, was built in 1920 to serve the community’s African American students. The school played a role in the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated schools nationwide. Its history thus connects its original purpose in the community with a ruling of national significance. The school is located at 4266 Millcreek Road. In 2023, the state described plans to repurpose the building as the Center for Diversity, Inclusion & Social Equity.

Tours and Steam Train

Tours of Auburn Heights Mansion include the two main floors of the Victorian mansion, which is furnished with antiques. Three generations of the Marshall family lived in the house. The focus is therefore on the house, its furnishings, and its family history—a different perspective from the Meetinghouse’s community and religious role.

Steam locomotive enthusiasts can ride the Historic Red Clay, Inc. (Wilmington and Western) Railway from Greenbank to Hockessin. If you want to include the train ride in your trip plans, check the schedule for your dates. This makes it easier to weigh your trip’s specific interests—nature, agricultural heritage, local history, or steam rail travel—against one another.

Discover more destinations: Christiana, Claymont, Brandywine, Bear, Brookside, Newark, New Castle, Wilmington.

For the broader travel overview: New Castle County.