Bonwell House
4 mi. W of Frederica on DE 380, Frederica, DELocated west of Frederica, the Bonwell House is situated on land which was a portion of a tract of 1,050 acres called "Bishop's Choice."
This tract was surveyed in 1681 for Benoni Bishop, who later became a member of William Penn's Assembly.
In 1682 the Indian rights were purchased from Saccarachet. In 1747 James Taylor sold 200 acres of "Bishop's Choice" to John Harper. Of this, Harper sold two and three-quarters acres to George Goforth, who erected a grist mill on the adjoining Bishop's Branch. The land passed from George Goforth to his son Peter. During the period of the Goforth ownership, the present house was erected.
The house became known as the Bonwell House after 1792, when Michael Hall Bonwell purchased the house and property from Peter Goforth. When Bonwell and his wife, Mary, settled west of Frederica, he was said to be the sole builder of grist and saw mills below Wilmington. The Bonwell House soon became the nucleus of a group of
mills called the Leamington Mills.
Michael Bonwell sired three sons, all of whom inherited his mechanical facility, adding to the Bonwell family's reputation as mechanics and inventors. The Bonwell House, along with the mills and land, was deeded to the eldest son, George Bonwell.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.