What's in the section that's bumped out beside the fridge, and slightly into the hall? Do you mean that you want to move the fridge to the existing pantry area? A structural engineer should be your first stop if you're removing the wall. Then we need a measured drawing of the kitchen and surrounding areas. Mark windows, doors, what needs to stay, and what can be changed. Beautiful spaces, BTW.

I absolutely adore it as it. OMG all those windows!!!

Taking out the refrigerator wall would make the kitchen open to the hallway/stairs and to the front door correct?

Congratulations. This is beautiful! I would leave the wall but I’m partial to old center hall homes. I like how they give separation between rooms and convenient flow. Plus you have that great dining/ keeping room already off the kitchen. I’d still swap the fridge and pantry. What is to the left when facing the wood stove? Do you have more photos of that area? If you do decide to remove the wall, you could have a large table (eat-in kitchen) instead of an island and some some comfortable chairs in the room with the wood stove.
I wonder if there’s brick behind the corner wall by the fridge (??)

It sounds like you are caught in the trend of the day-open concept. But tearing out walls just to tear out walls is not well thought out. Just the basics- kitchen ceiling and hall ceiling don’t match. The baseboard heat won’t have a wall. What you are proposing is very expensive. Visitors through what looks like the front door will be dumped right into your kitchen. I wish, and I say this from the bottom of my heart, you had bought a new house that met your need for open concept. I have a 200 year old house and I base everything we do to honor the house and the man who built it. Yes, we have central air, electricity, plumbing and a newly remodeled kitchen. But I did not block up the 200 year old cooking fireplace with the original crane, I didn’t change out a door for a window and a longer run of cabinets, I didn’t rip down the original plastered ceiling to vault the space. I want to respect the families who lived here by being a caretaker, not a demo man. The value of separation in a household has been demonstrated during this quarantine. DH can watch the whole series of Star Trek ( please just shoot me!) in the library while I work on my genealogy project and watch murder mysteries in the back parlor. When he is cooking (using every pot and pan we own), I can sit in relative quiet in the library and read until dinner is ready.

I echo remodeling1840. The kitchen is beautiful. Very light and airy already! The house is old. Live here for awhile and let the house speak to you. Before you tear down any walls, live here for at least a year. Old houses are to be loved and cherished. If, after a time, you find the kitchen doesn’t work for you, you will know how to,fix it.

I would not touch that space whoever did the original reno had a great eye , get a counter depth fridge and be done.I do agree anything to do will need time to get it right so live there as it is for at least 3 months and 6 is better . I am not one to save the past if it does not work in this century but I also do a lot of thinking before demolishing what appears to be an awesome space well designed and since the kitchen is already open to the entry I would leave it as is

It looks as if the pantry is a later addition, so moving the fridge over there and putting a pantry with a flush wall where the fridge is currently located would work, and would give you a continuous L from fridge to sink to range. The fridge might be a couple of steps farther from the range, though. I can't tell without measurements, but that might leave more space for a larger non-barrier island.

OMG! What a fantastic looking kitchen. That color blue is perfect for an early 19th Century house. See the Benjamin Moore Williamsburg Paint collection. https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/color-palettes/williamsburg-collection

I would keep the wall and the integrity of the house as you make it your home.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have lots to think about! I would like to maintain the integrity and charm of the home however, I have little ones and the concept does not work for me. That said, I appreciate the advice of living in it for some time then deciding what will work best for our family. I think what I will do is swap the fridge and pantry. I need a much bigger built-in island and think that will help gain some space.

They won't be little for very long. All this "sightlines" nonsense is just that - nonsense. Put the little ones in the kitchen with you when you're cooking. Preserve this house for the decades ahead.