Our Projects
The Focus of Our Efforts in the Parks
Mount Pleasant Meeting House and Parsonage
The Friends group has secured funding through grants to renovate the interior and exterior of the Meeting House and Parsonage. Currently, volunteers have been restoring the grave markers in the historic cemetery. Click here for more information.
Music Garden
The Friends group designed, built and maintains the Music Garden located near the patio behind the Bellevue Arts Center, home to the Lunch Time concert series.
Summer Interns
Each summer the Friends group sponsors the Summer Interns at the park. The summer interns have a variety of experiences and training during their time in the program.
Marsh Road Adopt a Highway
The Friends group helps to maintain and clean up Marsh Road from Carr Road to Philadelphia Pike as part of the Adopt a Highway state program.
The 1-and-1/8-mile Fitness Track
Through State funding, the 1-and-1/8-mile fitness track will be updated with proper drainage systems and additional gravel surface. The Friends group is also securing funds for updates to the fitness stations surrounding the track.
The Percheron Barn
The Percheron Barn, named for Mr. du Pont's stable of percheron horses, is a circa 1925 Cyclone style, Sears & Roebuck's kit barn. Currently, State funds have been designated to study and secure the structure.
Mount Pleasant Schoolhouse
Mount Pleasant Schoolhouse survives from two historic periods and uses – a rural school house for 35 years and then an estate cottage for 111 years. The first use and period, from 1830 to 1865, was a rural schoolhouse associated with the State of Delaware’s first successful initiative to provide free schools to rural populations. State funds have been designated to preserve the outside of the historic schoolhouse.
The Friends Built a New Playground at Bellevue State Park!
The Friends of Bellevue applied and received a grant and coordinated the effort to build a playground at Bellevue State Park. It is designed for younger children, ages 2 to 5 years and replaces the old equipment from the 1980’s. The new equipment is more interactive to encourage safe and imaginative play.
We partnered with Kaboom! a national nonprofit that facilitate building extraordinary play spaces, Discover, who generously provided the funding for the play equipment and DNREC. With the help of 150 volunteers, the playground was installed on November 6, 7 & 8, 2024. In addition, 20 picnic tables were built, an outdoor classroom was created with a map of the park painted on the floor, invasive plants were removed and the meadow was seeded.
Bring the kids and enjoy some the fun at the new Kaboom! playground!
