In This Place...

In This Place.... Late 1600's to Mid-1800's.
The "Thoroughfare" and Old Duck Creek
Prior to European settlement, the Smyrna River outlet to Delaware Bay (as we know it today) did not exist. As shown in the map at left, the historic path of "Old Duck Creek" made a right turn and meandered 12 miles south to join the Leipsic River before flowing into the Bay. Then, in 1682, an enterprising colonist, Ephraim Herman, had a "throughfaire" dug, diverting the flow of Duck Creek directly to the Bay (green line on map). The name "Thoroughfare Neck" derives from this. This Delaware Bay to Duck Creek shortcut enabled Smyrna to evolve into a bustling port of trade for ships entering and leaving the Bay.

Bombay Hook Light
If you were here a century ago, and followed Lighthouse Road east (to where the throughfaire reached the Bay), you would find the Bombay Hook Lighthouse. Built in 1829, and occupied by several lightkeepers and their families over its near century of use, Bombay Hook Light served as a key navigational aid to ships entering the Smyrna River. Some bricks on the ground and clumps of daffodils that bloom each spring are all that remains of the Lighthouse today.

Historic Sutton House
Built in 1730, and still standing a half-mile down the road, is the Sutton House, out of which Tony Florio raised his family while serving as a state Fish and Wildlife Biologist for 30 years. In Progger (2002), Tony weaves engaging stories about this house, the marshlands, and the colorful cast of characters who lived, hunted, trapped and adventured in and around them.