Ardentown

Ardentown is a small village located in northern New Castle County, Delaware, founded in 1922 as an extension of the experimental single-tax community of Arden. One of three adjoining single-tax villages in the area — alongside Arden and Ardencroft — Ardentown was established on principles drawn from the economic philosophy of Henry George, which held that land should be held in common trust and that land rent, rather than conventional property taxes, should fund community needs. The village occupies land originally comprising the Harvey and Hanby farms, and today encompasses not only its historic residential areas but also a significant natural preserve and one of the region's longstanding theater venues. Ardentown remains a functioning municipality with an active village government and a distinct identity rooted in its cooperative land-tenure traditions.

Origins and Founding

The founding of Ardentown in 1922 grew directly out of the success and philosophy of Arden, a nearby community established in the early twentieth century on the principles of the Single Tax theory developed by the American economist Henry George. George's theory proposed that the economic value created by land itself — rather than by improvements made to it — should be returned to the community through a single tax on land values, eliminating the need for other forms of taxation. Arden had demonstrated that such a community could function effectively, and a group of Arden residents saw an opportunity to expand the experiment when the adjacent Harvey and Hanby farm properties became available for purchase.

The original purchase of the Harvey and Hanby farms — the 107 acres that would become Ardentown — was carried out by a group of Arden residents known as the Committee of Eight, led by Frank Stephens, one of the founders of Arden. The purchase was made in June of 1922 and subsequently announced at a Town Meeting of Arden. Because the purchase had been made without prior approval from the Arden community, a committee was formed to study the matter. The committee ultimately reported that $2,500 of the town surplus could be used to offset taxes and other fees associated with the acquisition, though the Town Meeting voted against spending the money, reasoning that the additional land would increase property values and therefore increase land rents.

The total purchase encompassed 97 acres of the Harvey farm and 12 acres of the Hanby farm. Financing the acquisition required outside assistance: Fiske Warren, a Boston resident and friend of Frank Stephens, advanced $30,000 of the $39,000 needed to complete the transaction. The legal foundation of the new village was formalized when the papers creating Ardentown's Deed of Trust were signed on December 23, 1922. The original Ardentown Trustees were Frank Stephens, his son Donald, and William Worthington, Jr.

The Deed of Trust and Land Tenure

The Deed of Trust that established Ardentown was a foundational legal document that defined the community's relationship to its land. In keeping with Henry George's philosophy, the land itself was placed in trust rather than sold outright to individual residents, with trustees empowered to set and collect land rent from leaseholders. Notably, the Ardentown Deed of Trust reasserted the right of the Trustees to set land rent — a power that had been transferred to the elected Board of Assessors in Arden's 1908 Deed of Trust — thereby returning greater authority over rental assessments to the trustees of the new village.

This structure distinguished Ardentown from conventional municipalities, where individuals own land outright and pay taxes on property. In Ardentown, residents hold long-term leases on their plots and pay ground rent to the trust. The revenue collected through this mechanism supports the governance and maintenance of the village. Most of the land in Ardentown continues to be held in trust through the Deed of Trust, with a small portion controlled directly by the village municipal government.

Location and Geography

Ardentown is located in northern New Castle County, Delaware, and occupies land that was historically part of two farm properties. The main portion of the village lies north of Harvey Road, east of Arden, and west of the CSX railroad tracks. This primary tract includes the site of the former Harvey barn, which has become one of the village's best-known landmarks due to its long history as a theater venue.

Beyond the main village, Ardentown encompasses several additional tracts of land. One such tract is located north of the South Branch of Naamans Creek, on both sides of Marsh Road, and includes a private residence that once served as the headquarters for the old Arden Water Company. Another notable addition to the village's land holdings is the Sunnyside Tract, the newest acquisition, bordered by the railroad tracks, Interstate 95, Harvey Road, and Naamans Creek.

Also located within Ardentown, across Millers Road from the theater, is a stately stone house dating to the revolutionary era, whose history has been researched by the University of Delaware. The building is now part of an adjacent assisted-living residence known as Ivy Gables.

The Three Single-Tax Villages

Ardentown is one of three adjacent villages in northern New Castle County that operate under the single-tax system inspired by Henry George's economic theories. The three villages — Arden, Ardentown, and Ardencroft — are sometimes referred to collectively as the Ardens, and each was founded at a different point in the twentieth century as the experimental model was extended and refined. Arden was the original community, founded in the early 1900s by Frank Stephens and sculptor Will Price. Ardentown was established in 1922 as a direct extension of Arden when additional farmland became available. Ardencroft followed later as the third village in the cluster.

Together, the three villages represent among the most sustained practical applications of Georgist land-tenure principles in the United States. Each village maintains its own municipal government while sharing the overarching philosophy of community land trusteeship and land-rent-based revenue. The proximity of the three communities means they share certain cultural traditions and geographic features, including access to the natural areas along Naamans Creek.

The Harvey Barn Theater

among the most historically significant structures in Ardentown is the former Harvey barn, situated on the main village tract. The barn has functioned as a theater since 1931, giving it a long and varied history as a cultural venue in the region.

For many years, the barn operated as the Robin Hood Theater, which attracted notable performers including actors Barbara Bel Geddes, Jack Klugman, and Anthony Perkins, all of whom spent time as resident actors at the venue. The Robin Hood Theater helped establish Ardentown as a destination for serious theatrical production during the mid-twentieth century.

In 1969, the venue was converted into the Candlelight Music Dinner Theatre, described as one of the first dinner theater establishments on the East Coast of the United States. The Candlelight Music Dinner Theatre continued to operate as a popular entertainment venue in northern Delaware for decades. The theater's long history — from agricultural barn to professional stage — reflects the cultural traditions that have shaped Ardentown since its founding.

The Sunnyside Nature Preserve

The newest significant land holding in Ardentown is the Sunnyside Tract, acquired in 1998. This parcel is bordered by the CSX railroad tracks, Interstate 95, Harvey Road, and Naamans Creek. The majority of this tract — approximately 31 acres — was deeded to the Village of Ardentown by the Delaware Department of Transportation. Combined with six acres previously held by the trustees, the full parcel forms the Sunnyside Tract of the South Branch, Naamans Creek Preserve.

The preserve has been recognized by the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) as an important and protected natural area. Among the ecological distinctions of the site is that it contains some of the oldest and largest trees in Delaware, making it a significant resource for both conservation and community greenspace.

The Village of Ardentown municipal government administers the Sunnyside Nature Preserve as part of its broader civic responsibilities. In addition to managing the preserve, the village government oversees the maintenance of village roads and holds a small property on the north side of Marsh Road adjacent to Naamans Creek.

Village Government

Ardentown operates as a functioning municipality with its own village government. The community's governance structure reflects the principles embedded in its founding Deed of Trust, which placed stewardship of the land at the center of civic life. The village government is responsible for the Sunnyside Nature Preserve, the maintenance of roads within the village, and the administration of a small number of properties held directly by the municipality rather than through the trust.

The bulk of Ardentown's land remains under the authority of the Deed of Trust, consistent with the Georgist philosophy that animated the village's founding. This separation between trust-held land and municipally controlled property allows the village to maintain its historic commitment to community land stewardship while also performing the practical functions of local government. Ardentown's governance model continues to draw interest from those studying alternative approaches to land use and community organization.

External Links

• Official Village of Ardentown Website