Carswell, a Delaware native, was a career Army officer who fought in France during World War I.

They commissioned an updated set of plans from Edward Durell Stone, the architect responsible for the design featured in Collier's, after Carswell's retirement from the military at the end of World War II.

[2] Stuart Carswell died just six months later, and his widow sold the house in 1956.

[3] Starting in 1999, the Carswell House was restored to its original appearance by its owners, both professors at the University of Delaware.

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 and the restoration project was completed the following year.