This article was written in the Delaware State News about Spruce Acres. It was written shortly after the property was purchased by Andy and Jen Nowak.

Repaired Mansion Camden Jewel
by Nora Engel, Delaware State News
7/16/2007

CAMDEN — Andy Nowak, proud new owner of the Buckson Mansion on North Main Street in Camden, felt it had the potential to be spectacular the first time he saw it. The building is known as the Buckson Mansion because it was previously owned by Judge David Buckson. After he sold it in 1997, the home deteriorated over the past 10 years.

Mr. Nowak said he and his wife Jen knew the mansion was in desperate need of repair, but they were up for the challenge. The house was built in 1840 and used in the Underground Railroad. The stenciling on the wall is original. There are also several original sinks, a 1850 Dutch oven and a gas lantern which was used to light the house in the 1800s. Mr. Nowak said all those items, among many other original features, will remain in the house.

“It’s a part of history and really fascinating,” he said. “Every room in the house tells a story. That’s why it is so important to keep it as original as possible. “Modernizing it too much or destroying it would be like destroying history.”

Mr. and Mrs. Nowak brought back the original name to the property — Spruce Acres. Mr. Nowak said before the Civil War, runaway slaves are said to have slept in secret rooms on the third floor of the home. He said Abolitionist Quakers kept a library in the mansion of antislavery books that are now on display at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

The Nowaks decided to turn the house into unique office spaces. “My wife is an attorney, so this was the perfect chance for her and her law partner to expand their firm,” Mr. Nowak said. “And we didn’t want to turn it into apartments because we wanted to keep it as original as possible, so it doesn’t lose its historical value.”

Mr. and Mrs. Nowak worked hard over the past year to restore the mansion.

Most people who walk through it today would agree it is breathtaking. It’s hard to believe less than a year ago it was a mess.

There are several office spaces available for rent throughout the mansion. Mr. Nowak said the only parts of the house that have truly become modernized are the electric, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning. Each office is computer ready with 13-foot ceilings and a classic and elegant design.

Anyone interested in renting a space at Spruce Acres can contact Eagle Wings Properties at 302-632-7091.

Staff writer Nora Engel can be reached at 741-8272 or nengel@newszap.com.