| Delaware (Sussex County), Blades — SC-100 — Blades United Methodist Church |
| | Formerly known as Cannon's Chapel, the first church building was constructed in the early 1870's on East High Street (then known as Concord Road). The Church was incorporated on July 16, 1877. In 1887, the Trustees of the Church purchased land at the present site on Main Street from the heirs of James M. Blades. A new structure was built and dedicated on January 13, 1889. In honor of Rev. William Benson Gregg, the Church was renamed the Gregg Methodist Episcopal Church. Incorporated again on . . . — Map (db m4536) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Bridgeville — SC-132 — Site of Jacobs School #143 |
| | In 1863 the Sussex County Levy Court formally approved the creation of a new school district to serve the needs of local citizens. A frame schoolhouse was constructed on this site on land provided by Thomas Jacobs. Measuring twenty feet in width and thirty-two feet in length, this was a one-room school with a single teacher who was responsible for teaching all students in grades 1-6. Classes were conducted at this location until 1917, when road improvements led to the movement of the building . . . — Map (db m4537) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Delmar — SC-103 — Town of Delmar |
| | The town of Delmar was established soon after the Delaware Railroad reached this area in 1859. Although fire devastated Demare in 1892 and 1901, the town continued to build and grow. Incorporated on March 9, 1899, Delmar became known as the "strawberry capital of the nation" in the early twentieth century due to the abundance of strawberries grown and shipped by farmers in the area. Located on the Mason-Dixon Line, Delmar took it's name from the combination of the first three letters of both . . . — Map (db m3865) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Georgetown — SC-86 — “Pettijohn’s Old Field” |
| | The future home of Sussex County’s seat of government was a sparsely populated rural area when the 76 acres which would become the Town of Georgetown were purchased on May 9, 1791. Located “near the centre” of the country at a place known as “James Pettijohn’s Old Field,” the land was surveyed by Rhoads Shankland, who divided it into lots which were sold to defray costs associated with the establishment of the town. The most prominent feature of his design was this Public Square, known today as The Circle. — Map (db m423) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Georgetown — SC-95 — Academy / Masonic Hall |
| | In 1827 the Delaware legislature authorized a lottery for the purpose of funding the construction of “an Academy and Masonic Hall.” Land was purchased in 1840, and construction commenced the following year. The building was formally dedicated on December 28, 1842. The Georgetown Academy had a prestigious reputation and was attended by students from throughout the county. Classes at this private institution were discontinued in 1885 when a new public school was built in the town. In . . . — Map (db m427) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Georgetown — SC-88 — Relocation of the County Seat |
| | The conflicting claims of the proprietors of Maryland and Pennsylvania resulted in a lengthy and sometimes violent dispute concerning the ownership and boundaries of Sussex County. Residents who had been Marylanders before the controversy was resolved in 1775, found themselves to be inconvenienced when traveling to Lewes, the original seat of government. Hundreds of persons signed petitions requesting removal of the county seat to a more central location. On January 29, 1791, the Delaware . . . — Map (db m424) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Georgetown — SC-85 — Return Day |
| | This event draws thousands as winning and losing candidates joining in celebration on the Thursday following each general election. Poor traveling conditions and interest in the outcome of political contests may have resulted in an extended stay when all elections were held here. Creation of voting districts in 1811 required the meeting of a Board of Canvass on Thursdays to determine “returns” for the county. Proclamation of results continues to highlight this festive occasion. . . . — Map (db m426) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Georgetown — SC-87 — Sussex County Courthouse |
| | In 1835 a lottery was authorized to raise funds to replace the frame structure which had served as Courthouse since 1791. Construction of the new building began in 1837 following the sale and relocation of the original Courthouse to its present site on South Bedford Street. The Brick Hotel across the square was designated as the temporary seat of justice. Completed in 1839, the new Courthouse was designed by nationally known architect William Strickland, and constructed by Layton & Sipple. A . . . — Map (db m425) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Laurel — SC-160 — Centenary United Methodist Church |
| | In 1801 there was a great revival of religion amoung the residents of the area. The growing appeal of the Methodist movement resulted in hundreds of new members for the church. A class was formed in the Laurel area, and in 1802 a church was constructed at this location. The church was formally incorporated as "Zion Meeting House" in 1809. After several decades of use, a new church was built on the site. It continued to serve the congregation until 1866, when a third church was constructed in . . . — Map (db m11816) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Laurel — SC-145 — Christ United Methodist Church |
| | In the fall of 1831, Reverend Thomas Pearson came to Laurel to assist with the establishment of a Methodist Protestant congregation in the community. With its founding, the church became one of the first of this denomination in Delaware. Early meetings were held in a schoolhouse. A church was constructed on West Street in 1832, and a cemetery established nearby. Desiring a new house of worship, the congregation purchased property on Wheat Street - not Central Avenue, in 1866. A two-story frame . . . — Map (db m4430) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Laurel — S-84 — Laurel |
| | This site was originally part of a tract known as "Bachelor's Delight". From 1711 to 1768 it was included in a 3,000 acre Nanticoke Indian Reservation, authorized by an act of the Maryland Assembly. A village known as "Laurel" existed as early as 1799. Birthplace of Governor William H. H. Ross (elected 1850), and home to Governors Nathaniel Mitchell (elected 1804), William B. Cooper (elected 1840), Joshua H. Marvil (elected 1894), and Elbert N. Carvel (elected 1948 and 1960). The town's central . . . — Map (db m4423) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Laurel — SC-195 — Mount Zion United Methodist Church |
| | This congregation was organized in 1809. Services were held in a structure that was first known as Elzey Moore's Meeting House, and later renamed Wesley Chapel. With the closing of Wesley in 1852, the congregation was divided. On January 8, 1853, members residing in this area obtained this site from William Wheatley. A frame building was then constructed and subsequently designated as Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was formally incorporated in 1881. Additional property on the . . . — Map (db m4539) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Laurel — Pioneer of Preservation — Ted Harvey: Innovator for Preservation |
| | Trussum Pond
Tranquil waters trapped by a grist mill dam in the early nineteenth century made Trussum Pon a haven for the baldcypress. However, the trees now seen dotting the pond's surface are all that remain of a once extensive prehistoric wetland.
Deprived of the area's natural cycle of high and low waters, the baldcypres trees caught in the pond are visible only as strange hummocks of gnarled wood, sprouting woldflowers, shurbs, and ferns. Grading inland to a canopy of . . . — Map (db m4540) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Laurel — SC-182 — The Wading Place |
| | Here was Laurel's ancient "Wading Place", a ford for Native Americans and colonial settlers. Broad Creek crosses this fall in its flow to the Nanticoke River and Chesapeake Bay. For centuries, the Nanticoke Indians, an Algonquin people, lived in the Nanticoke Watershed, within which Broad Creek is an important tributary. Here were oak and cedar, marsh and creek, bass and perch, deer and wolves. Until 1775 this area was part of Maryland. In the 18th Century events here reflected pressures to the . . . — Map (db m11817) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — S-31 — Lewes |
| | Under orders from Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch erected Fort at Hoorn Kil (Lewes Creek) 1659 but were soon dispossessed by Marylanders. Here was also a communistic settlement established in 1662 by Mennonites from Holland under Peter Cornelius Plockhoy. Sir Robert Carr, 1664, “Destroyed the quaking colony of Plockhoy to a Naile.” — Map (db m19404) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — Lewes — Zwaanendael |
| | On north side of town was Zwaanendael, first Dutch settlement on Delaware soil. Founded 1631 on creek, named by settlers Hoorn Kil in honor of town of Hoorn in Holland. Colony was destroyed by Indians same year. DeVries, a director of company which had sent out colony, came over next year with aid but returned to Holland 1633. — Map (db m19407) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — Lewes |
| | The Dutch in 1673 established a court in Hoorn Kil for the inhabitants “on the east and west sides of Cape Henlopen unto Bomties (Bombay) Hook.” Governor Andros of New York in 1676 established an English court at Whorekill, the jurisdiction of which was reduced in 1681 by the creation of Kent County. County Seat of Sussex County until 1791.
168-169 Savannah Rd. North of Sussex Dr. on rt. going south — Map (db m19408) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — Lewes |
| | Here lived Ryves Holt, colonial chief justice; and four governors, David Hall, who commanded a Delaware regiment in the Revolution, Daniel Rodney and Caleb Rodney, sons of John Rodney, and Ebe W. Tunnell; also Colonel Henry Fisher, Revolutionary patriot, and Dr. Jacob Jones, later Commodore, U.S.N. — Map (db m19409) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — Lewes-Rehoboth Canal |
| | The Lewes-Rehoboth Canal connecting Rehoboth Bay and Delaware Bay was authorized by the U.S. River and Harbor Act of 1912. Initially, the canal was envisioned as a means of access to the sea for farmers and saw mills along the Indian River and Bay. Consent to aquire land for construction was granted to the U.S. government by the Delaware state legislature in 1913. Construction by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was completed in 1927. Today, this feeder route to the Inter-coastal Waterway is . . . — Map (db m19307) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — SC-175 — Lightship Overfalls |
| | Responsible for establishing aids for the navigation of our nation’s waterways, the United States government Initiated the use of manned lightships or “floating lighthouses" in 1820. These vessels addressed many needs. They could be placed in locations where deep water or shifting shoals made fixed structures impractical or impossible, and they could be moved and repositioned easily. The beacon on the lightship’s mast and the sound of its foghorn contributed greatly to the safe passage of . . . — Map (db m19312) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — SC-214 — Menhaden Fishing Industry |
| | The Atlantic Menhaden is a small herring-like fish found in the coastal waters of the Eastern United States. Used by Native Americans to fertilize crops, these oily fish were also used by European settlers to produce fuel for lamps. In the mid-19th century, technological improvements resulted in more efficient processing methods and the menhaden fishing industry was greatly expanded. Products included oil for use in paints and fertilizer to support the growing nation’s agricultural economy. In . . . — Map (db m19428) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — SC221 — The Blizzard of 1888 |
| | Known as the “Great White Hurricane,” the Blizzard of 1888 was one of the most devastating weather events in recorded history. Affecting coastal states from Virginia to Maine, this paralyzing storm resulted in widespread death and destruction. With its large stone Breakwater providing a buffer from heavy seas, the harbor at Lewes was considered to be one of the safest on the Atlantic seaboard at the time. For the ships that sought shelter here during the blizzard, it would be the . . . — Map (db m19316) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Lewes — SC-167 — The Bombardment of Lewes |
| | In March of 1813, the Royal Navy established a blockade of the Delaware Bay and River. The British squadron, under the command of Commodore John P. Beresford, RN, took up stations off Lewes and the Delaware Capes, and began to conduct raids along the coast in and effort to disrupt maritime commerce and shipping. Many small actions resulted with numerous vessels being captured and destroyed. On this location was one of two fortifications that were built to protect the town of Lewes. These . . . — Map (db m19308) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-70 — Cannon-Maston House |
| | In 1696, James Cannon received a patent for land at this location from the Proprietary government of Maryland. Known as Ickford, the tract became the property of his son Thomas Cannon in 1712. It is believed that he erected the first section of the present brick dwelling in 1727, and expanded the structure in 1733. The property remained in the Cannon family until 1851, when it was sold to Halsey H. Maston. In its construction details and plan, the Cannon-Maston House reflects the . . . — Map (db m4541) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — S-77 — Governor Ross Mansion |
| | This residence was constructed by William Henry Harrison Ross. He was born in Laurel in 1814 and died in 1887. He served as Governor of Delaware (D) between 1851-1855. In 1859, Ross constructed this elaborate brick Italian Villa style structure featuring a three-story center entry tower on his 1,395 acre farm. Currently owned by the Seaford Historical Society, the property also includes a period barn, granary, and carriage house. — Map (db m4818) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-211 — Governor William H. H. Ross |
| | Born on June 2, 1814 in Laurel, Delware, William Henry Harrison Ross was the son of Caleb and Letitia Lofland ross. He was educated in local public schools and later attended Claremont Academy in Pennsylvania. As a young man ross was employed in a variety of business pursuits in his native community including the operation of a general store, mills and a tannery. In 1845 he moved to a farm on the north side of Seaford where he became engaged in extensive agricultural activities. He was among . . . — Map (db m4987) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-126 — Mount Olivet United Methodist Church |
| | On February 9, 1830, a group of citizens favorable to the reform of the Methodist Episcopal Church joined together for the purpose of planning the establishment of a new church in Seaford. An existing meeting house standing on Chapel Branch was purchased the following day. The frame structure was then moved to the present site adjacent to the Hooper Burial Ground. Led by Dr. William Morgan, a physician and long-time local preacher, the new congregation affiliated themselves with the emerging . . . — Map (db m4986) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-155 — Old Seaford Post Office |
| | A post office was established in this community in 1827. For many years it did a large shipping business by water. The coming of the railroad in the 1850s resulted in an even greater demand for postal services. For more than a century the post office was housed in a variety of privately owned locations throughout the town. In 1934 the United States Government purchased this site for Seaford's first publicly owned post office. Ground was broken in April 1935, and the new building was formally . . . — Map (db m4991) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-164 — Seaford Fire Department |
| | On November 14, 1901, a group of concerned citizens met in the Seaford town conncil room for the purpose of discussing the organization of a fire company. By the end of the month, over 50 person had volunteered. The company was formally named the Seaford Volunteer Fire Department. W. H. Miller was elected president, and T. H. Scott was chose to be the first chief. During the early years, the Department's equipment consisted mainly of ladder trailers and hand-drawn hose reels. The first . . . — Map (db m4819) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — Seaford Veterans Memorial |
| | Dedicated to the memory of those Seaford community veterans who died in the defense of our country.
World War I
Thomas Penington, Lewis A. Taylor, Frank C. Quails, Kemp Wright, Albert H. Waller
Korea
Vernon L. DeShields, Charles F. Wright, Irvin M. Tindall
Vietnam
James L. Miller, Richard K. Hill, Richard S. Dennison, James A. Messick, James F. Henry Jr
World War II
Carlton E. Massey, Harold S. McWilliams Jr, George M. Johnson, Alfred b. Lankford, . . . — Map (db m4994) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-163 — St. Luke's Episcopal Church |
| | The origin of this parish can be traced to 1704, when a log chapel known as St. Mary's was constructed on Chapel Branch in Northwest Fork Hundred. The devastating impact of the Revolution on the Church of England in America contributed to the discontinuation of services there by the early 1800s. In 1835, the Reverend Corry Chambers was sent to the Seaford area by the Diocese of Delaware. Finding St. Mary's in ruins, he organized St. Luke's from the remnants of the former congregation. Services . . . — Map (db m24033) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-197 — Stein Highway |
| | This roadway is named for Samuel J. Stein (B. 1878 - D. 1961). A native of Austria, Mr. Stein came to Seaford in 1897. He was active in the business and civic affairs of the community for more than half a century. In the 1920s the State of Delaware initiated a program to improve the state's roads. The effort was initially impeded by costs associated with the purchase of rights-of-way. Convinced of the value of a modern roadway to connect Seaford to rural areas stretching westward to the . . . — Map (db m4993) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Seaford — SC-218 — The Delaware Railroad |
| | From the earliest days of rail construction in this country, the advantages of linking the Delmarva Peninsula to the expanding urban markets of the nation were obvious. In 1836 the General Assembly chartered the Delaware Railroad for the purpose of building a line from a junction with the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad in the north to the southern border of the state. After a long delay due to poor economic conditions, construction commenced in 1854. On December 11, 1856, a large crowd . . . — Map (db m4584) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), South Fenwick Island — The Fenwick Island Lighthouse |
| | The Fenwick Island Lighthouse
Erected 1858
In operation from 1859 to 1978
as an official aid to navigation
Transferred to Delaware, 1981
Restored, 1982 – 1983, by The Friends of
the Fenwick Island Lighthouse under the
leadership of W. Paul Pepper, President
With the assistance of:
The State of Deleware
The Fenwick Island Women’s Club
Senator Richard S. Cordrey
Richard B. Carter
Randy Murray
Earl R. Strausbaugh
John Cziraki, Steeplejack
Oliver . . . — Map (db m3027) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), South Fenwick Island — S.C.-74 — Transpeninsular Line |
| | This stone monument, erected April 26, 1751, marks the eastern end of the Transpeninsular Line surveyed 1751-1751 by John Watson and William Parsons of Pennsylvania and John Emory and Thomas Jones of Maryland. This line established the east-west boundary between Pennsylvania’s “Three Lower Counties” (now Delaware) and the Colony of Maryland. It established also the middle point of the peninsula, 35 miles to the west. The stone bears the coat of arms of the Calverts on the south side . . . — Map (db m1234) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Woodland — SC-65 — Cannon's Ferry |
| | Isaac and Betty Cannon began operating a ferry here on Nanticoke River, Feb. 2, 1793. Their sons continued it, built stores and warehouses in the hamlet named for them.
The ferry became property of Sussex County following the brothers' death in 1843. First postoffice named "Woodland" was established in 1882 and the hamlet took the same name. The State acquired the county roads and ferry in 1935. — Map (db m4538) |
| Delaware (Sussex County), Woodland — SC-173 — Woodland Ferry |
| | By the 1740s a ferry service was being regularly operated at this location by James Cannon. He was succeeded by his son Jacob, who constructeda much-needed causeway on this side of the river for the improvement of the business. Threatened by competitors, Jacob's widow Betty Cannon successfully petitioned the Delaware General Assembly in 1793 for "sole and exclusive" rights to the operation of the service. The ferry continued to be operated by members of the Cannon family until the mid-19th . . . — Map (db m4422) |
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