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On the Market: Delaware home built by late Governor Russell Peterson for $650K

A Delaware home custom-built and lived in by the late Governor Russell Peterson is on the market for the first time in more than 20 years for $649,900.

This Centreville, DE home, built and lived in by former Governor Russell Peterson, is on the market for $649,900.
This Centreville, DE home, built and lived in by former Governor Russell Peterson, is on the market for $649,900.Read moreConnie Pratzner

On the Market profiles homes for sale in the Philadelphia region.

A Delaware home custom-built and lived in by the late Governor Russell Peterson is on the market for the first time in more than 20 years for $649,900.

The home, located on Montchainn Road in Centreville, was built by Peterson in 1958, a decade before he became Delaware's 66th governor. At the time, the former Governor was working at DuPont, a chemicals company located in Wilmington. After his one term as governor, Peterson was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon as chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. He also served as the president of the National Audubon Society later in his career. Peterson passed away at the age of 94 in 2011.

Current owner Leonard Yowell says he is the third owner of the 4,150-square-foot home in New Castle County. Yowell, who was drawn to the home's setting high in the hills with views of Brandywine Valley, purchased the home in May of 1993.

"It was just so beautiful I couldn't resist," Yowell said. "I saw it in the middle of winter when there was about a foot of snow. It was just a winter wonderland."

The stone house has four bedrooms and four bathrooms and is nestled on six acres. Also on the property are two decks and a stone terrace that overlooks the grounds, a pond, and an in-ground pool.

Yowell, a St. Louis, MO native and owner of CPM Industries, came to Delaware 40 years ago to work in the chemical industry. He was coming from downtown Wilmington when he bought this home, so this was a change of pace for him.

In the two decades Yowell spent living in the home, he completed some major renovations; many of them in the last few years.

He replaced the roof, all of the bathrooms, and all of the windows. Yowell said everything was dated from the 1950s when he moved in.

Yowell rearranged the walls on the second floor, and removed one of the bedrooms to enlarge the master bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom now features a jetted tub, his-and-her sinks, a dressing room, and a walk-in closet.

He also put in all new hardwood floors throughout the house.

"The previous owner had put in wall-to-wall white carpet," Yowell said. "I pulled all of that up, and redid all of the floors."

The home still has its original radiant heating system, in which the heat circulates from the ceiling.

Panoramic views of the landscaped grounds can be seen from wall-to-wall windows from the living room, family room and dining room.

Yowell has decided to sell the home now because he is relocating to Miami.

"It's a magnificent park setting with unique flowers, trees and animals," he said. "You see every bit of wildlife around."

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