Nassau near Lewes in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A History of the Junction & Breakwater Railroad
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 14, 2022
All Aboard!
Chartered in 1857, the Junction & Breakwater Railroad (J&BRR) ran the 38 miles from a junction with the Delaware Railroad in Harrington to the Delaware Breakwater in Lewes. The portion of the line from Georgetown to Lewes opened for service in 1870 with stations at each end. Between the established endpoints, new stations constructed at Messick, Gravely Hill (later Bennum), Harbeson (later Broadkill), Cool Spring, and Nassau served as anchors for the growth of small communities around each location. All of the stations were used to load freight, while only four stations (Georgetown, Broadkill, Nassau, and Lewes) offered passenger service.
Rise in Perishable Produce and Canning
The arrival of the railroad spurred local manufacturing and agricultural activities and transformed communities, like Georgetown, into important regional transportation and trade centers. The J&BRR enabled local farmers to ship their products to urban markets more efficiently. A rise in demand for perishable products, like fruits and vegetables, spurred the establishments of canning and preserving facilities along the railroad line during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries at Georgetown, Cool Spring, and Nassau.
Decline of the Railroad
The J&BRR continued to serve as an important regional transportation route for commercial and passenger traffic into the mid-twentieth century, first as a subsidiary of the Delaware Maryland & Virginia Railroad, and later as a lessee of the Philadelphia, Baltimore & Wilmington Railroad.
By the mid-twentieth century, the J&BRR faced increasing competition from Delaware's emerging trucking industry and the rising national trend in automobile use. Unable to compete, passenger service on the line terminated in 1949. During the 1980s, the State of Delaware acquired the rights to the section of the railroad line from Georgetown to Lewes, and up until 2016, it operated as a freight line under the Delaware Coast Line Railroad.
Today, the only railroad buildings that remain along this section of the line are the former Passenger Station and Engine House in Georgetown.
Erected by Delaware Department of Transportation Cultural Resources; Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1857.
Location. 38° 45.11′ N, 75° 11.217′ W. Marker is near Lewes, Delaware, in Sussex County. It is in Nassau. Marker is on Lewes Georgetown Trail
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 14, 2022
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Nassau Station (here, next to this marker); Kiosk Dedicated in Memory of Thomas H. Draper (approx. 0.2 miles away); Broadkiln Hundred (approx. one mile away); Israel United Methodist Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Coursey-Daisey Nanticoke Indian Burial Ground (approx. 1.1 miles away); Cool Spring Station (approx. 1.1 miles away); a different marker also named A History of the Junction & Breakwater Railroad (approx. 1.1 miles away); In Honor of Ted Freeman (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lewes.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 14, 2022
Credits. This page was last revised on September 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 342 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 16, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.