Key Dates and Events in the Town's History

Key Dates and Events in the Town's History. "The Best Little Beach In Delaware". , 1952: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hall purchase 130 acres and name it South Bethany , 1952: Construction of the South Bethany canals begins and lasts until 1962 , 1959: Property owners number 500 , 1962: "The Perfect Storm" aka "Storm of the Century" devastates Delaware's entire coast , 1965: Governor Charles Terry Jr. signs a bill allowing the incorporation of South Bethany , 1966: Homeowners defeat first referendum to incorporate , 1969: Homeowners approve referendum to incorporate South Bethany and the State approves , 1969: First Town Election held for 7 Commission seats, including the first Mayor , 1969: "Town Office" opens in May Felerski's house (5 N. 2nd St.) and remains there until 1978 , 1969: Homes number 250 with 15 full-time residents , 1971: Life Guards first hired to protect beach and bathers , 1972: Sussex County places a moratorium on building permits within 1000 feet of the ocean to ensure restoration of the primary dune , 1972: Installation of sewer lines starts and all homeowners required to participate , 1972: York Beach and Paradise Shores annexed , 1974: Severe Nor'easter buffets beach with considerable beach and street damage , 1974: Bayside Tennis Club opens , 1977: Sewer system completed , 1977: First two traffic lights installed at the North and South ends of Town on Rt. 1 , 1977: Town receives a federal grant to build a Town Hall on land donated by Mrs. Hall , 1978: First Town Hall and office dedicated on the land where today's Town Hall is located , 1980: Ocean freezes and canals freeze over – a recorded first , 1981: Delaware Supreme Court lifts the moratorium on permits for construction on the dune , 1981: And 1982, Nor'easters plague beach and severely damage Ocean Drive, 1982: Sharp Energy begins providing underground propane gas to residents , 1983: Sandpiper Village annexed , 1983: South Bethany Property Owners Association (SBPOA) formally organized , 1983: Serious Nor'easter pounds Town and drops over a foot of snow , 1983: 1,282 properties; homes number 748 with 105 full-time residents , 1985: Rip rap mandated for all ocean front homes to protect Ocean Drive , 1985: Beach replenishment program gives Town an engineered beach to recover lost sand , 1985: Cat Hill area annexed and Cat Hill Development opens , 1986: Cat Hill Water Company constructed , 1992: Cat Hill conveys 22 acres of wetland to the Town , 1992: Neighborhood Watch forms as part of SBPOA , 1992: Worst Nor'easter to date; mandatory evacuation is declared , 1998: Artesian Water constructs water tower and provides water service from street , 1998: Chesapeake Utilities installs lines for future ability to provide gas by Sharp Energy , 1998: Severe storm pounds beach and a mandatory evacuation is declared , 1999 First beach replenishment implemented by Army Corps of Engineers , 2003: Nor'easter strikes again and the National Guard helps South Bethany , 2004: Underground gas storage facility installed behind the Town Hall , 2008: Current Town Hall and separate Police building dedicated , 2008: "Fifty Year" beach replenishment includes 16 foot protective dune , 2010: The Town purchases Richard Hall Memorial Park from the Hall family heirs , 2011: Bio-retention gardens and extensive landscaping added to Route 1 , 2012: "Super Storm Sandy" brings worst bayside flooding in memory with 800 homes affected , 2014: SB Historical Society publishes the historical book "The Best Little Beach in Delaware" ,