Saint George's Hundred in Middletown in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Middletown Academy

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 31, 2021

1. Middletown Academy Marker

Inscription. In 1824 area residents petitioned the General Assembly for a lottery to erect a building for education and public worship. Construction of the Academy began in 1826 and was completed the next year. For many years the building served as the center of community activities. Previously a private institution, it became a part of the public school system in 1876. The school was closed in 1929. The building was deeded in 1945 to the St. Georges Hundred Historical Society, an organization formed to insure its preservation. In 1960, the property was acquired by the Town of Middletown. Since then the building has been used for a variety of purposes. Continuing the traditional role as a public meeting place, the facility has been utilized by a number of municipal agencies and community organizations. The Middletown Academy was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Erected 2005 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number NC-144.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Delaware Public Archives,

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and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1824.

Location. 39° 27.085′ N, 75° 43.038′ W. Marker is in Middletown, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Saint George's Hundred. It is at the intersection of N. Broad Street (Delaware Route 71) and Crawford Street, on the right when traveling south on N. Broad Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Middletown DE 19709, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Delaware’s Southern New Castle County, in Greater Wilmington and in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Witherspoon Tavern (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Middletown (about

Photographed by Adam Margolis, August 10, 2010

2. Middletown Academy Marker

700 feet away); Historical Pictures from Around Downtown (about 700 feet away); The Middletown Transcript (about 700 feet away); Middletown World War I Memorial (about 700 feet away); A Brief History of Middletown (about 700 feet away); Forest Presbyterian Church (about 800 feet away); 123 West Main St. (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middletown.

Also see . . . Middletown Academy - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.

For 101 years from its first session in 1827, the Middletown Academy served as a secondary school, after 1875 as part of the state free-school system. After the present Middletown School building was opened in 1929, the Academy building stood vacant. The trustees finally sold the property to the Federal Government, which planned to build a post office on the space in front of the old building. This proposal inspired a popular movement that resulted in the formation of the St. George's Hundred Historical Society, to whom the United States deeded the Academy property in 1945.

(Submitted on November 13, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.)

Middletown Academy image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Pfingsten, August 17, 2008

3. Middletown Academy

Building is still in public use.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,039 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on September 7, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on June 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on December 24, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 3. submitted on August 22, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.