Located at 202 South Walnut Street, the Aldred Richards House the Aldred Richards home was built in 1900 by William Pemberton Richards, an assessor from Washington, D.C. He was also an excellent draftsman.
Born in Milford in 1866, Richards attended local schools before graduating from Lehigh University at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1888 with a degree in civil engineering. He worked for three years on the Mississippi River and then went to Washington in 1891, working as an engineer.
From 1898 to 1905, he was in charge of engineering work in Rock Creek Park and, in 1905, completed maps by which real estate assessments were made. In 1908, he was appointed assessor for the District of Columbia and served in that capacity for 28 years. He retired at the age of 70.
In July 1931, Richards was appointed a member of a special committee on taxation of the President’s Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership, created to study the means of promoting home ownership and to suggest means of lowering the cost of buying dwellings.
Richards married Maria Causey, the daughter of William Frederick Causey who inherited the Causey Mansion after the death of his father Governor Peter F. Causey in 1871. Maria’s maternal grandmother was Missouri Governor Trusten Polk and her father served as Delaware Secretary of State.
When Richards applied for retirement in 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt asked him to remain in his position, but Richards refused due to his health. He moved back to Milford permanently after his retirement.
In 1941, Richards drew a sketch of the 16 miles around his native Milford including drawings and marginal notes that told the historical legendary lore of the area. The map was drawn after he retired from his position as a surveyor and assessor.
“As my past work had something to do with maps,” Richards was quoted as saying. “I glanced over a chart that showed me the Delaware line 16 miles from Milford – the deep waters of the bay about the same distance away, Georgetown within that mileage and Dover at a respectful distance.”
Richards stated that the area around Milford, the creeks, the ponds, gave him pleasure as he swam, fished, sailed, rowed and picnicked.
The same year he drew his map, Richards passed away after a long illness. Maria was his second wife and she survived him. His first wife, Rosalie L. Nichols of Washington, died while he was in Washington. He had no children.
Eventually, it became the home and office of Dr. Walsh, a chiropractor, who removed the impressive porch from the front of the home.
This home was built on the grave of Levin Crapper. While the home was constructed, workmen found the remnants of the wooden casket with leather handles used to bury Crapper in 1775. The old grave is located just under the steps of the home, but the remnants of the casket were donated to the Milford Museum.
