The pump house, whose first element was built in 1837, preserves a feature of the old canal, which relied on locks and pumps to move vessels over the low divide of the Delmarva Peninsula between Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay.

Because there are no large rivers on the peninsula, water had to be pumped uphill to fill the upper canal and locks.

The one-story fieldstone building has an asphalt shingle roof and is used for storage.

The next oldest building, the westernmost, was built circa 1851 as the boiler house for the rest of the complex.

The East Engine Building, opposite the Wheel House, is similar in nature, but was built in 1853 or 1854.