One of the early owners of the large parcel of land upon which this house (and others nearby) was built was Stephen J. Seneca and his wife, Annie. They built the Seneca Mansion at 200 North Union Avenue in the late 1800s and owned considerable property in Havre de Grace. He is better remembered, however, for owning and operating the Seneca Canning Company until his death in 1918. Seneca sold this property in 1905 to Manor Real Estate and Trust Company of Pennsylvania and records indicate that Manor Real Estate sold the land in 1924 to Joseph Henry Wileman and his wife, Lillie Kate Wileman. Joseph Wileman worked for the Standard Lime and Stone Company and he and Lillie also ran “Uncle Joe’s” corner grocery store in the early 1900s at 800 North Juniata Street. Joe also served as Bailiff of the City from 1914-1916.

It appears that the Wilemans had several nearby homes built, along with this one, shortly after purchasing the land (homes include those in the 700 block of Warren Street). Therefore, 1924 is the best estimate on the age of this home.

This house may have been a Sears Roebuck Kit Home, as were some others nearby. A standard Sears Modern Home Kit contained around 25 tons of materials, more than 30,000 parts, 750 lbs of nails, along with a 75-page instruction book that were shipped directly to the purchaser (often by rail). The 370 different designs were offered in Sears mail order catalogs only between 1908 and 1940. Sears houses built after 1916 have stamped lumber elements that can be found in attics or basements for those who wish to confirm their original design. Pictures of some Sears models are listed online at: http://arts-crafts.com/archive/sears and, although many have since been modified, many are recognizable as Sears models.

The Wilemans owned this home for about 18 years before selling it in 1942 to Robert and Dorothy Giesler, who were married just three years beforehand. They lived in this home through their married life together until their attorney sold it in 1996 to Russell Crompton and his wife, Mary Ellen. The Cromptons lived here until 2005 when substitute trustees of the court sold the home to James Allen Boyle, a local realtor, possibly as an investment property. For the next several years, this fenced home on the corner of Morrison Lane, with spacious rear deck and front porch, was owned and well maintained by Richard Gatto and family who sold it in December 2018 to Winnifred R. Hull.

County Records
Built 1900. 2575 sq ft, 1.5 stories with basement, 3 beds, 1 bath, detached garage, 6,800 sq ft lot.