Marker Logo
THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Swedes Landing in Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Mayor John E. Babiarz Park

 
 
Mayor John E. Babiarz Park Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 31, 2021
1. Mayor John E. Babiarz Park Marker
Inscription.
This park honors John E. Babiarz, who over a long and distinguished career brought integrity, effective management, sensitivity and responsiveness to a series of responsible business and governmental positions.

Born in Wilmington in 1915, he attended Wilmington High School, graduated from the University of Delaware in 1937, served during World War II in Egypt and the Persian Gulf with the U.S. Army, and has been a life-long member of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church.

While Mayor of Wilmington he began the revitalization of the city's aging core, introduced professionalism into the city work force with employment on merit principles, and led the successful transition to accountable city government under a home-rule charter. As State Secretary of Administrative Services he was responsible for construction of the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington and restoration of the Old State House in Dover.

• Business Executive: 1937-1964
• County Register in Chancery and Clerk of Orphans' Court: 1948-1952
• President of City Council: 1956-1960
• Mayor: 1960-1968
• President, Better Business Bureau of Delaware
Paid Advertisement
Click or scan to see
this page online
1969-1973
• State Secretary of Administrative Services: 1973-1976
• City Director of Commerce: 1977-1981

 
Erected by City of Wilmington, Delaware.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & PoliticsIndustry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1937.
 
Location. 39° 43.962′ N, 75° 31.875′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in Swedes Landing. It is on East 7th Street 0.2 miles east of Wilmington Industrial Park, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1180 E 7th St, Wilmington DE 19801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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
Mayor John E. Babiarz Park Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 31, 2021
2. Mayor John E. Babiarz Park Marker
distance of this marker: The Colonists (within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Kalmar Nyckel (within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Anthony - Delaware's First Known Black Settler (within shouting distance of this marker); USS Monitor – America's First National Marine Sanctuary (approx. 0.4 miles away); Wilmington's Civil War Ironclads (approx. 0.4 miles away); Escape by Sea (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lifeboat 39 (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Lifeboat 39 (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.
 
Additional keywords. merit systems
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 1, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 657 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on June 1, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
m=174419

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisement
Aug. 29, 2026