The Inn at Montchanin Village
History
The village of Montchanin, listed on the National Historic Register, is not so much a hamlet as a microcosm of American history—it was once a part of the Winterthur Estate and was named in honor of Alexandrine de Montchanin, grandmother of the founder of the duPont Gunpowder Company, Eleuthere Irenee duPont. One of the few remaining villages of its kind, the settlement was home to laborers who worked at the nearby duPont powder mills, and consists of 11 carefully restored buildings dating from 1799 to 1910. The current owners, Dan and Missy Lickle, have made important contributions toward preserving and enhancing the property. By maintaining the structures and finding adaptive uses that are compatible to the site and surrounding countryside, Montchanin Village is one of the rare survivors of this particular type of 19th-century hamlet.
