Dr. John W. Messick House and Office

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

From the record

“Messick House and Office is a historic home and office located at Georgetown, Sussex County, Delaware. It was built in 1876 and is a three-bay, L-shaped frame dwelling with a two-story, five-bay rear wing.”
Wikipedia article Dr. John W. Messick House and Office, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 136 National Register listings published here for Sussex County · listed in 1987 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Listed as. Messick, Dr. John W., House and Office - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. 144 E. Market St., Georgetown, 19947
When was it listed? September 1987
Category. building
Census division. Georgetown
Architectural style. Second Empire architecture in the United States and Canada, Queen Anne style architecture in the United States
National Register reference number. 87001499 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

32 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 32 fires within 5 miles of Dr. John W. Messick House and Office between 2002 and 2020, burning about 103 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Smoking	7
Debris and open burning	6
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	6
Equipment and vehicle use	3
Recreation and ceremony	2
Natural	2
Railroad operations and maintenance	2
Arson/incendiarism	2
Fireworks	1
Other causes	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2013	Smoking	under an acre	Delaware Forest Service	not named
3 September 2015	Smoking	1.0 acres	Delaware Forest Service	SMOKE FIRE
3 September 2015	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Delaware Forest Service	DEEP FIRE
28 September 2015	Recreation and ceremony	10 acres	Delaware Forest Service	WALMART FIRE
6 August 2002	Natural	under an acre	Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
31 August 2015	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Delaware Forest Service	SNAG FIRE
20 August 2010	Railroad operations and maintenance	3.0 acres	Delaware Forest Service	not named
7 July 2012	Smoking	2.0 acres	Delaware Forest Service	not named

Every fire recorded in Sussex County

Storms near this property

44 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Georgetown, the town this property stands in, in 44 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 24 thunderstorm wind, 12 heavy rain, 5 lightning, 1 wildfire. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 2007	Lightning	Georgetown	$300,000	A lightning strike quickly caused a fire at a house on Avalon Road in Georgetown. When firefighters from five separate companies arrived, the rear of the home was already engulfed in flames and the fire had extended to a nearby storage shed. Two people were home at the time of the lightning strike and escaped before being injured. Damage to the home was estimated at $300,000.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	$250,000	A squall line of severe thunderstorms caused wind damage, especially in the eastern part of Sussex County with the corridor from Georgetown to Lewes reporting the most damage with a secondary maximum of wind damage from Dagsboro to Bethany Beach. There were about fifty weather related incidents throughout the county.\|\|Just northeast of Georgetown, dozens of trees were toppled at the Sand Hill Mobile Home Park. Seven homes and four vehicles were damaged by fallen trees. Many trees were twisted, uprooted and shredded in and around the park. In Georgetown, the damaging winds ripped part of the roof and siding off one warehouse owned by Besche Brother Furniture and picked up and moved another large warehouse twenty-five feet off its foundation. In Lewes near the intersection of Delaware State Route 1 and Darmouth Drive, half of the front wall of the Furniture and More Galleries collapsed. The ensuing rain soaked mattresses, beds and futons at the front of the store. A 62 mph wind gust was recorded in Lewes. \|\|The squall line also knocked down trees in Dagsboro and Ocean View. A chimney was damaged by the high winds in Bethany Beach.
August 2001	Lightning	Georgetown	$150,000	no account filed
August 2011	Lightning	Georgetown	$50,000	A pair of lightning strikes helped trigger fires that damaged two homes in Georgetown. One fire occurred on Avalon Drive and the second on Donaway Road. Four fire companies responded to each blaze. No injuries were reported.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	$10,000	A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of trees in Georgetown, one fell onto and damaged a house.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Tree reported down. Time estimated from radar.
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Reports of wires down in Georgetown. Time estimated from radar.
February 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Damage to billboards, power lines, and traffic signals occurred in the Georgetown area. Time estimated from radar.
February 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Damage to billboards, power lines, and traffic signals occurred in the Georgetown area. Time estimated from radar.
February 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Damage to billboards, power lines, and traffic signals occurred in the Georgetown area. Time estimated from radar.
May 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Trees down in Georgetown. Time estimated from radar.
August 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Wires downed due to thunderstorm winds on Cedar Lane.
April 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Thunderstorms associated with a strong cold front moving across the area during the late evening hours on the 2nd and early morning hours on the 3rd produced wind gusts which blew a tractor trailer over a shopping center parking lot in Georgetown.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Trees and power lines were taken down due to thunderstorm wind gusts.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Just under four and a half inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Flood	Georgetown	-	Delaware Technical Community College had many roads that were impassable and closed the campus early in the afternoon on the 29th due to flooding.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Four and a half inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Just over 2 inches of rain was measured.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Two a two thirds inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Three and a half inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Just over 4 inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Four and two thirds inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Just under five inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Almost five inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Just under five inches of rain fell.
September 2016	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	Just under four and a half inches rain fell.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	A severe thunderstorm knocked down large tree limbs and wires along Bridgeville Road (Delaware State Route 18) in Georgetown.
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	A severe thunderstorm knocked down several whole trees in Georgetown.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	A severe thunderstorm knocked down large tree limbs and wires in Georgetown.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	A severe thunderstorm knocked down a few trees in Georgetown.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	A severe thunderstorm knocked down a few trees and tree limbs in Georgetown. One downed large tree knocked down a fence and a screened in porch of one home in the Cinderberry section of the town.
September 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	Trees and wires were knocked down on the south side of Georgetown.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	The second severe thunderstorm of the night caused wind damage mainly in the southeastern part of Georgetown. A flag pole was snapped. One telephone pole was leaning. A downed tree damaged a garage on South Bedford Street. Another downed tree damaged a shed. A gazebo was mangled. A two-person swing set was turned upside down. A few other trees were split. Parts of trees were tossed 200 feet. An outhouse overturned at the Marvel Carriage Museum. The combination of wind and lightning caused about 7,000 homes and businesses to lose power in Sussex County. All power was restored by 3 a.m. EDT on the 17th.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	A severe thunderstorm tore down numerous trees in and around Georgetown. A bit farther to the east, the same thunderstorm snapped and/or downed eight utility poles on Southbound Delaware State Route 1 just north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. Motorists on the roadway were stranded because of the downed poles. The downed poles also halted access in and out of Inlet Road and the Indian River Marina. Delaware State Route 1 was not completely reopened until the 18th.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	no account filed
May 2004	Lightning	Georgetown	-	no account filed
May 2004	Flash Flood	Georgetown	-	no account filed
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	no account filed
July 2003	Heavy Rain	Georgetown	-	no account filed
February 2002	Wildfire	Georgetown	-	no account filed
February 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	no account filed
April 1999	Lightning	Georgetown	-	no account filed
March 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	no account filed
September 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Georgetown	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Sussex County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Georgetown Coal Gasification Plant	0.4 miles	1985
Isaacs & Sons Cold Storage Building	0.5 miles	2025
Sussex County Courthouse and the Circle	0.5 miles	1973
Thomas Sipple House	0.5 miles	1985
Joseph T. Adams House	0.6 miles	1998
St. Paul's Episcopal Church	0.6 miles	1979

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 87001499 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Sussex County	All 136 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.