Second Fenwick Tour To Feature Six Historic Cottages; Event Scheduled For Oct. 6

Second Fenwick Tour To Feature Six Historic Cottages; Event Scheduled For Oct. 6

FENWICK ISLAND – A tour of Fenwick Island’s oldest cottages is expected to benefit a new museum dedicated to the history and culture of Delaware’s coastal communities.

On Oct. 6, residents and visitors will have the opportunity to view the inside of six historic cottages in Fenwick Island as part of the second annual Historic Cottages and Lighthouse Tour.

“Fenwick Island has some old cottages from the 1930s and the interesting thing is that most of the cottages are still owned by the same family,” said Kimberly Grimes, tour organizer for the event. “So we decided to do a historic cottage tour on Columbus Day weekend.”

Grimes said the tour will be a fundraiser hosted by Historic Coastal Towns – an organization of historical groups from Fenwick Island, South Bethany, Bethany Beach, Ocean View and Millville. Money collected from the event will be used to support the creation of the group’s new Coastal Towns Museum, located on West Avenue in Ocean View.

“We’ve been wanting to start museum since 2008, and we’ve been doing little fundraisers here and there,” she said. “Now are dreams are becoming a reality.”

Grimes said last year the group was gifted a property – featuring a 1901 gothic revival home and 19th century barn – to use as a location for the museum, but legal fees and unexpected restoration projects left little money to transform the residence into a venue to display artifacts and stories.

“Most of the money we had raised from our fundraisers went towards legal fees to transfer the property and things of that nature,” she said, “and we had to repair the barn immediately because the roof had collapsed.”

In an effort to raise additional money for the museum, Historic Coastal Towns last year launched its first annual historic home tour. Grimes said more than 225 residents and visitors came out to view 19th century farmhouses in Ocean View.

“We thought what better way to raise money than to use our best assets, which is our historic buildings,” she said. “People really enjoyed it.”

Building on the success of last year’s fundraiser, Grimes said this year’s event will offer individuals a glimpse of earlier times in Fenwick Island by touring six historic cottages and the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. She noted that the homeowners will be present to show participants around their homes.

“Because many of the oceanfront cottages on the tour are blocks apart, people can walk down Bunting Avenue and go from one home to the next,” she said, “and there is plenty of parking that time of year.”

Unlike the large, modern homes often found along Delaware’s coastal communities, Grimes said the Fenwick Island cottages are modest in nature.

“These are the original cottages you see in all of the old photographs,” she said. “Some of them are no bigger than 800 square feet. Back in the day, these homes were treated more like shelters to stay in at night after a day spent on the beach.”

Despite their unassuming appearances, Grimes said the cottages are a testament to the history and beauty of Fenwick Island.

“Often, we don’t know what we have until its gone,” she said. “These cottages are like little gems and make the character of our town so much better.”

Grimes said the purchase of a tour ticket will also include a tour booklet, which features a map to the cottages and lighthouse, a brief history on each of the cottages, and interesting facts on Fenwick Island and its landmarks.

“A lot of people didn’t know that the lighthouse consists of two cones,” she said. “The exterior goes up diagonally, while a brick cone on the inside goes straight up. Also, a lot of people don’t know that Fenwick Island actually started in Maryland.”

Grimes said tickets for the Historic Cottages and Lighthouse Tour are on sale for $25 and can be purchased online at thequiteresorts.com. Tickets can also be purchased at Sea Shell City in Fenwick Island, Made By Hand in South Bethany and Ellen Rice Gallery in Ocean View.

The Historic Cottages and Lighthouse Tour will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 6. All participants can come to the Information Center at 36913 Coastal Highway in Fenwick Island between 9 a.m. and noon to receive their program.

“Our cottages are disappearing,” Grimes said, “and we want people to see and appreciate them before they are gone.”

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.