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

The William Montgomery House

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, April 24, 2016

1. The William Montgomery House Marker

Inscription. A stone on the facade inscribed with the initials "I.M" and a date of "1789" suggests that construction of this dwelling occurred during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period of early industrialization in Delaware. Evidence of a stone house on this property does not appear until tax assessments of 1816-1817. William Montgomery, a farmer and War of 1812 veteran for whom the house is named, first owned the property and lived there with his wife, Jane and their seven children as early as 1805. The family resided in the home until William's death in 1838 at the age of 68. Located in an area of Mill Creek Hundred formerly referred to as "Milltown," the house is a well-preserved example of "Penn Plan" style architecture popular in the Pennsylvania and Delaware colonies until the mid-18th century. First recommended by William Penn to colonists in the late 17th century, the double-cell plan features two rooms with a separate stair hall. The use of the Penn Plan during the second decade of the 19th century is unusual and suggests an adherence to traditions characteristic of the Delaware Valley region. Due to its construction

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into a natural bank, one of the home's principal facades sits one story higher than the other. The property also features a small barn, frame well house, and the remains of a mill race, all of which date from the mid-19th century. A frame wing was added to the house in the mid-20th century by A.Felix and Marka DuPont, who owned the property at the time. The William Montgomery House was named to the National Register of Historic Places in July 1988 and was a recipient of the New Castle County Historic Preservation Award due to the efforts of Norman and Gayle Davis, longtime owners of the property.

Erected 2014 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number NC-204.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Delaware Public Archives, and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists.

Location. 39° 43.878′ N, 75° 40.198′ W. Marker is near Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Arundel. It is on Old Limestone Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map.

The William Montgomery House Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 10, 2025

2. The William Montgomery House Marker - wide view

Marker is at or near this postal address: 2900 Old Limestone Road, Wilmington DE 19808, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Delcastle (approx. ¾ mile away); St. James Church (approx. one mile away); In Eternal Gratitude (approx. one mile away); Former Site of the Delcastle Prison Farm (approx. 1.3 miles away); Site of General Weedon's Foray at Spring Grove (approx. 1.4 miles away); R. Walker Barn (approx. 1½ miles away); All Saints Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); Robert Kirkwood, Jr. (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . . Montgomery House - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.

The William Montgomery House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, April 24, 2016

3. The William Montgomery House

Click on photo and see the stone with IM 1789.

The house dates from about 1805. The Penn Plan is a seventeenth-century London townhouse plan that was recommended to new colonists by William Penn. It was popular in the Pennsylvania and Delaware colonies until the mid-eighteenth century when it was largely superseded by traditional hall-parlor plans and by developing Georgian floor plans. Its use in the nineteenth century indicates the maintenance of traditional architectural values.

William Montgomery, who lived in the house from about 1805 until his death in 1838, had a family of nine. George P. Alcorn, his son-in-law who lived there from shortly after Montgomery's death until 1855 also had a family of nine; so the house accommodated what would be considered a large family by almost any standards during its first half century.

(Submitted on April 23, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware.)

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, April 24, 2016

4. The William Montgomery House

The William Montgomery Barn image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Pfingsten, April 24, 2016

5. The William Montgomery Barn

Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,185 times since then and 63 times this year. Last updated on February 23, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on April 26, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 2. submitted on May 10, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware. 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 26, 2016, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.