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

Locust Grove

Home of Governor Joshua Clayton

Photographed by William Pfingsten, August 17, 2008

1. Locust Grove Marker

Inscription. This home was once the residence of Joshua Clayton (1744-1798), an eminent physician and distinguished government leader in post-Revolutionary Delaware. After attending the University of Pennsylvania he established a successful local practice and was later one of the founders of the Medical Society of Delaware. At the outset of the Revolution he was commissioned as an officer in the Bohemia Manor Militia. Clayton's career as a statesman began with his election to the Delaware House of Assembly in 1783. He was subsequently chosen to serve as State Treasurer in 1786, and in 1789 he was elected by the legislature to the office of "President," or chief executive of Delaware. He was the last person to hold that title under the State Constitution of 1776. A new frame of government was adopted in 1792, and in October of that year Delawareans went to the polls to cast their ballots. With his election, Joshua Clayton became the State's first popularly elected chief executive, and the first to hold the title of "Governor." His public service continued in 1798 when he was chosen to serve as United States Senator. While in Philadelphia

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in the summer of that year he was in frequent consultation with Dr. Benjamin Rush and other physicians concerning the yellow fever epidemic that was then raging. He contracted the disease and returned to his home at "Locust Grove," where he died on August 11, 1798.

Erected 2003 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number NC-135.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Government & Politics • Science & Medicine • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Delaware Public Archives series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1783.

Location. 39° 30.278′ N, 75° 45.144′ W. Marker is in Middletown, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Saint George's Hundred. It is on Clayton Manor Drive 0.2 miles west of Choptank Road (Delaware Route 15), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 Clayton Manor Drive, 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.

Locust Grove image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Pfingsten, August 17, 2008

2. Locust Grove

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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Choptank Upon-the-Hill (approx. 0.6 miles away); Welsh Tract (approx. 2.2 miles away); St. Augustine School (approx. 2.6 miles away in Maryland); Sgt. James P. Connor Memorial Circle (approx. 3.1 miles away); St. Augustine Parish (approx. 3.1 miles away in Maryland); St. Augustine’s Church (approx. 3.1 miles away in Maryland); Veterans Memorial (approx. 3.1 miles away); a different marker also named Sgt. James P. Connor Memorial Circle (approx. 3.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middletown.

Also see . . . Delaware's last President and First Governor. (Submitted on August 24, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,721 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on November 24, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 24, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.