Baltimore Hundred in Ocean View in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
She wanted the land left 'as is, nothing other than natural '
[James Farm Ecological Preserve]
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 16, 2020
1. She wanted the land left 'as is, nothing other than natural...' Marker
You are standing on land that was for generations known as the James family farm. The patriarch, Joshua Rubin James held dear this land he farmed at the turn of the 20th century. Rodney Short, great grandson of Josha James, remembered Sunday dinners at the farm with his grandmother Short, and recalled a little path that ran from the house to Pasture Point where the family would harvest an abundance of 'huge' mussels right off the Point.
Following the death of the last direct descendent of the James family, in a deed signed by Mary Ansley Short Lighthipe in 1992, the land was given to Sussex County, "to be used for park and recreation only, to serve the present and future inhabitants of the county and visitors to the county to promote and foster wildlife habitat and plant life and agricultural and environmental studies." Mary wanted the land left "as is, nothing other than natural..."
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Environment • Parks & Recreational Areas • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1992.
Location. 38° 34.503′ N, 75° 4.778′ W. Marker
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Delawares Beaches. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and on the Delmarva Peninsula. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Hall's Store (approx. 1.9 miles away); Ocean View Post Office (approx. 1.9 miles away); Cecile Steele's Chicken House (approx. 1.9 miles away); Ocean View, Delaware (approx. 1.9 miles away); Tunnell-West House (approx. 1.9 miles away); a different marker also
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 16, 2020
2. She wanted the land left 'as is, nothing other than natural...' Marker
Additional keywords. She wanted the land left 'as is, nothing other than natural...'
Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 17, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 429 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 17, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
