Directly across from the Old Episcopal Graveyard stands the General David Humphreys' House the most historically important structure in the Historic District. Built in the early 1700's, it was later the home of the Reverend Daniel Humphreys and his wife Sara Riggs Humphreys. It was here on July 10, 1752, that David Humphreys was born.
He became one of the most important figures in the Revolutionary War, serving as an aide to General George Washington. For his gallantry at Yorktown, David Humphreys was given the honor of receiving the surrendered British standards and carrying them back to Philadelphia for presentation to Congress. After the war he went to Paris as secretary of the American legation under Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. After this he served Washington as his personal aide at Mount Vernon and accompanied him to New York when the first President took the oath of office. General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the Revolution, visited General Humphreys in this house.
The house has been refurbished and enlarged since it was originally built and is now owned by the Derby Historical Society. An extensive restoration was begun in 1976 as a Bicentennial project, under the direction of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, whose headquarters are in Boston, Massachusetts.
For more information about the Humphreys House and the Derby Historical Society, click here to leave the tour.
