New Castle Hundred in New Castle County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Garrett E. Lyons

Director, Delaware Interstate Highway Division

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 27, 2025

1. Garrett E. Lyons Marker

Inscription. His vision provided this site as a permanent memorial to honor Delaware and New Jersey veterans

Erected 1974 by Delaware River & Bay Authority.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Parks & Recreational Areas • Roads & Vehicles.

Location. 39° 41.676′ N, 75° 32.998′ W. Marker is near New Castle, Delaware, in New Castle County. It is in New Castle Hundred. It can be reached from Cherry Lane east of New Castle Avenue (Delaware Route 9), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 131 Cherry Ln, New Castle DE 19720, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Wilmington and in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic

and on the Delmarva Peninsula.

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

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Korean War Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Delaware River and Bay Authority Veterans Dedication (within shouting distance of this marker); Gold Star Families Memorial Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Delaware - Desert Shield / Desert Storm Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Delaware & New Jersey WWII Submariners Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Delaware Memorial Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Delaware River and Bay Authority Vietnam Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Castle.

Also see . . . Profile for the Garrett Lyons Walkway.

How the park came to be
To many, the elder Garrett E. Lyons was a visionary and someone who would think out of the box. Soon after he oversaw the opening of the first span of The Delaware Memorial Bridge in 1952, he turned his sights to the 40 acres that stood vacant just south of the bridge in Delaware
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 27, 2025

2. Garrett E. Lyons Marker
and across from the housing development known as Collins Park. Lyons negotiated a deal to purchase the property for $300,000 from the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, who owned the lot, with the idea of turning it into a public recreational area.

Financing was a challenge. The park was valued at $300,000. Lyons envisioned the park being purchased by the Interstate Highway Division, but the Bank of Delaware -- trustee for bridge bondholders at the time -- advised him that the purchase was outside of the bond's funding parameters. Not to be dissuaded, he went to the General Assembly of Delaware and convinced lawmakers to authorize a new issuance of special bonds that would authorize the Interstate Highway Division to buy the land.

Lyon's purchase turned out to be prescient and a great investment. The site was dedicated in 1956 as War Memorial Park.

(Submitted on May 2, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 145 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 2, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.