Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
“Hearn Potato House is a historic potato house located near Laurel, Sussex County, Delaware. It one of the last surviving examples of its building type.”
Wikipedia article Hearn Potato House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 136 National Register listings published here for Sussex County · listed in 1990 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Hearn Potato House between 2005 and 2016, burning about 161 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 April 2016 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Delaware Forest Service | BAKERMILL |
| 22 April 2015 | Other causes | under an acre | Delaware Forest Service | HOUSE FIRE |
| 13 April 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 160 acres | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge | MILLSBORO FIRE |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Laurel, the town this property stands in, in 34 storm reports between 2001 and 2025: 20 thunderstorm wind, 7 heavy rain, 4 hail, 2 lightning. The reports record 1 injury. 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 2001 | Lightning | Laurel | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Lightning | Laurel | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | $30,000 | Additional wind damage east of the path of the tornado was noted continuing eastward towards Laurel. This was the result of straight-line winds associated with the rear-flank downdraft which also caused the loss of all of the metal roofing on one commercial building as well as the partial loss of metal roofing on another commercial building in Laurel as well as additional tree damage south of Chipman Pond. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Large tree split and snapped along Woodland Ferry Road right next to the Laurel Little League fields. Time estimated from radar. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Trees and wires were blown down around Laurel. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Tree damage reported on Beaver Dam Rd. near Laurel. Time estimated from radar. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Report of trees down in wires. Time estimated via radar. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Numerous trees and wires down across Laurel, DE. Time estimated from radar. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Multiple trees were downed onto wires causing power outages. Time estimated from radar. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Tree limbs were downed in Laurel due to strong outflow winds from an approaching thunderstorm. Time based on the report and radar. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | A section of a tree snapped off and fell onto power lines. A large tree was also uprooted. Time estimated from radar. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | A tree and large limbs were reported down near Laurel. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph estimated in Laurel. |
| August 2019 | Hail | Laurel | - | Hail up to penny size was reported in Laurel. |
| July 2017 | Flood | Laurel | - | Flooding reported on Front and Poplar streets. |
| July 2017 | Heavy Rain | Laurel | - | Just over four inches of rain fell. |
| July 2017 | Heavy Rain | Laurel | - | Almost six inches of rain fell. DEOS. |
| April 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | 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 tree into a house in Laurel. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Laurel | - | Four and a quarter inches of rain fell. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Laurel | - | Almost five inches of rain fell. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Laurel | - | Just over four inches of rain fell. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Laurel | - | Just over 3 inches of rain fell. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Laurel | - | Just over 4 inches of rain fell. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees in Laurel. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of trees in Laurel. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | A severe thunderstorm knocked down trees in Laurel. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of trees and wires in Laurel and Bethel. A large tree was knocked down across Main Street in Bethel. About 400 homes and businesses lost power in Sussex County. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Laurel | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Laurel | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Laurel | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Laurel | - | no account filed |
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.
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.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ross Point School | 2.0 miles | 2001 |
| First Broiler House | 3.5 miles | 1974 | |
 | Chipman Potato House | 4.5 miles | 1990 |
 | Rider Potato House | 4.5 miles | 1990 |
 | Old Christ Church | 4.5 miles | 1972 |
 | Chipman's Mill | 4.6 miles | 1978 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 90001694 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. |
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