Centerville, Delaware

Centreville, Delaware
Centerville
Unincorporated community
Centerville is located in Delaware
Centerville
Centerville
Centerville is located in the United States
Centerville
Centerville
Coordinates: 39°49′17″N 75°37′00″W / 39.82139°N 75.61667°W / 39.82139; -75.61667
CountryUnited States
StateDelaware
CountyNew Castle
Elevation
436 ft (133 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code302
GNIS feature ID213782[1]

Centerville, also known as Centreville, is an unincorporated community in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. Centerville is now known primarily for being the location of Du Pont family estates, as well as several other wealthy business families from nearby Wilmington, and the home of Governor Jack Markell.

History

The village developed along the Kennett and Wilmington Pike, which was chartered by the Delaware Legislature in 1811. The road, now known as Delaware Route 52 or the Kennett Pike, is part of the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway.[2] The village was named Centerville as it lay midway between Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and Wilmington.[3] A group of fifteen houses, most of the village, was listed as the Centreville Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. About the same time, three other properties near the village, the Joseph Chandler House, the Carpenter-Lippincott House, and Mt. Airy School No. 27, were separately listed by the NRHP. The Centre Meeting and Schoolhouse had been listed in 1971.[4]

The hamlet of Fairville, Pennsylvania, about three miles north on Kennett Pike (Pennsylvania Route 52) developed about the same time as Centerville, and is also listed on the National Register.

Centerville's population was 110 in 1890,[5] 110 in 1900,[6] and 210 in 1925.[7]

Geography

Centerville is located at 39°49′17″N 75°37′00″W / 39.82139°N 75.61667°W / 39.82139; -75.61667[1] on the Pennsylvania state line, 5 mi/8 km north-northwest of Wilmington. Its elevation is 436 feet (133 m).

Area attractions

Entrance to the Joseph Chandler House on Chandler Lane in Centerville

Brandywine Creek State Park is located just to the SE of the village center. Delaware Museum of Natural History and the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library are located just to the south of Centerville, on Delaware Route 52.

Education

Centerville is home to Layton Preparatory School and the Centreville Layton School.

Notable people

Isaac Collins, a colonial printer, publisher, bookseller and merchant born in Centerville.

Michael Spinks, a professional boxer born in St. Louis, MO, Former two-division champion.

References

  1. ^ a b "Centerville". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway". Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  3. ^ Brown, Robin (March 12, 2015). "The backstory on odd Delaware place names". The News Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  4. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  5. ^ Cram, George Franklin (1890). Cram's Universal Atlas: Geographical, Astronomical and Historical, Containing a Complete Series of Maps of Modern Geography, Illustrated by Numerous Views and Charts; the Whole Supplemented with Valuable Statistics, Diagrams, and a Complete Gazetteer of the United States. G.F. Cram. p. 356.
  6. ^ Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition. J. R. Gray & Company. 1902. p. 84.
  7. ^ Premier Atlas of the World: Containing Maps of All Countries of the World, with the Most Recent Boundary Decisions, and Maps of All the States, Territories, and Possessions of the United States with Population Figures from the Latest Official Census Reports, Also Data of Interest Concerning International and Domestic Political Questions. Rand McNally & Company. 1925. p. 175.
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