Willingtown Square Marker

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Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Willingtown Square

Willingtontown Square Marker Photo, Click for full size

By William Pfingsten, August 31, 2008

1. Willingtontown Square Marker

Inscription. Willingtown Square honors Thomas Willing and the original name of the town he helped found in 1731. The four brick structures, built between 1748 and 1801, represent the types of houses common in early Willingtown. Buildings like these often served as both businesses and residences. Each has only one or two rooms per floor. Large families both lived and worked in these small spaces.
By the 1960s and 1970s the older neighborhoods in which these houses originally stood had decayed and were slated for urban renewal. A determined effort by preservationists rallied support to move the buildings to a site on Market Street from which four commercial buildings had been removed. The houses were moved in 1976 and the area renamed Willingtown Square. The Historical Society of Delaware accepted the responsibility for preserving the houses and now uses them for offices and meeting rooms.

Location. 39° 44.501′ N, 75° 33.037′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. Marker is on N. Market Street, on the right when traveling south. Click for map. Marker is opposite Old Town Hall. Marker is in this post office area: Wilmington DE 19801, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Old Town Hall (a few steps from this marker); Brown v. Board of Education (about 400 feet away, in a direct line); Thomas Garrett (about 600 feet away); Old Farmers Bank (about 700 feet away); Bethel A.M.E. Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Dickinson (approx. 0.2 miles away); Delaware's Jewish Community (approx. 0.2 miles away); Meeting House 1816 (approx. 0.2 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Wilmington.

Willingtown Square Building Photo, Click for full size

By William Pfingsten, August 31, 2008

2. Willingtown Square Building

The square gates are locked on Sunday and the grounds are not accessible.

Credits. This page originally submitted on September 1, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,788 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.