Historic Belmont Hall, tucked away on the southern edge of Smyrna, is getting a new chance to shine.
On Tuesday, July 20, the Friends of Belmont Hall, Inc. signed a lease agreement with the State of Delaware to manage the property and reopen it to the public.
Through this partnership, the state continues to own the property while the Friends of Belmont Hall is responsible for daily operations.
“We will have a full range of opportunities for the public to engage the property,” said Susan Wolfe, president of the Friends of Belmont Hall.
The group plans to offer historic tours, special events and rental opportunities for meetings, wedding receptions and reunions at the site, she said.
“We felt the public really needed to have access to this property,” Wolfe said. “That was our whole goal.”
A last week’s event, members of the Friends of Belmont Hall and representatives from the state and the Town of Smyrna joined together to mark the new agreement.
State Senator Bruce Ennis (D-Smyrna) commended the committee and the state for getting this accomplished.
“Many years from now people will echo their sentiments of good will to the Friends of Belmont Hall,” he said.
“The people of Smyrna spoke, and this administration listened,” said Tim Slavin, director for the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.
“Let’s go make this thing a real gem for our state,” added Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock.
Voicing her agreement, Smyrna Mayor Pat Stombaugh described Belmont Hall as the “jewel of Smyrna.”
“I love historic buildings,” she said. “I think they’re important, and there are fewer and fewer of them.”
Belmont Hall, which dates back to the late eighteenth century, holds a prominent place in Delaware’s history.
The building was once the home of Thomas Collins, who served as a brigadier general in the Delaware militia during the Revolutionary War and was later elected governor.
Belmont Hall was also the site of the first meeting of Delaware’s legislature under the Constitution.
Over the next 200 years, Belmont Hall remained a private residence until the state purchased it in 1987 and utilized it as a state conference center.
The property was managed by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs until July of 2008, after which it was closed to the public.
