The Village Walk

The map link below marks a route which will guide you through the village. Begin at the Port Penn Interpretive Center.

Port Penn Map

In 1792, Dr. David Stewart, Port Penn's founder, suggested a town plan similar to New Castle, Lewes, and Wilmington. Streets would be laid out on a gridiron with a market square. His plan required closing a street and adjusting many town lots to accomplish the desired streets and lots with boundaries at right angles.

Stewart's house, located at 1 South Stewart Street (#1), is the earliest surviving structure in Port Penn. Erected about 1740 by the Alrich family, this brick farmhouse attested to Stewart's wealth. Notice how the house is placed at an angle to Stewart Street. This structure predated the gridiron plan.

Across from Stewart's house is the Hall House (#2), built around 1790. This frame house is probably the town's second oldest surviving structure. It occupies lot number 53 of Dr. Stewart's town plan.

The Dunlap/Bendler House (#3) was built about 1790 with later additions. This frame house has been used as both a store and a residence.

Port Penn’s growth into a permanent community demanded services and structures to meet the town’s needs. Marking the middle of the 19th century was the construction of two churches. St. Daniel’s United Methodist Episcopal Church (#4, 1844) survives with minimal alterations and much of the internal hardware and furnishings are original. The Port Penn Presbyterian Church (#5, rebuilt in 1856) is located on the site of the former market square.

The most elaborate Port Penn home built during this period is Linden Hall (#6), which belonged to Joseph Cleaver. This Georgian style house overlooked the source of his wealth, the wharves and store houses which he maintained. Valued at $2,500 in 1845, Linden Hall was the town’s finest house.

The Georgian style was introduced in the United States through British pattern books illustrating house plans. A paneled front door centered on the facade of the building is a feature of this style. Rows of windows are aligned both horizontally and vertically, giving a symmetrical appearance to the house. Notice the original corner office overlooking the intersection of Market and Congress streets.

The last half of the 19th century saw a stabilization in town growth. Port Penners of this period built modest houses in a simple vernacular style with little decoration. Many of these still line Market and Congress streets today (#7, #8, #9, #10). These houses are described as vernacular since they represent a variety of local building traditions rather than high style architecture. Occasional carved posts and brackets embellish some of these later Victorian houses.