Lewes & Rehoboth Hundred in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Tower Hill

Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 29, 2026

1. Tower Hill Marker

Inscription. Tower Hill was a 400-acre land grant made to Daniel Browne in 1676 from the English Duke of York, James II. The tract moniker was most likely to honor Tower Hill, a garden square of the same name, and located northwest of the Tower of London.

This property passed into the hands of Samuel Preston, and then James Peterkin after 1693.

John Prettyman, the son of an English immigrant, migrated to Sussex County, Delaware (then part of Pennsylvania) from Accomack County, Virginia in 1696. He purchased half of Tower Hill in 1697 and from part of that, made Tower Hill Farm his manor plantation.

A 1756 resurvey found the Tower Hill grant to contain about 475 acres, expanding the acreage to nearly 240 acres for the Prettymans. Two great-grandsons subdivided their share of the parcel, with Prettyman's Branch becoming the southwestern border of Tower Hill farm. The remainder of the land was sold in 1770.

The colonial house site was located about 500 feet northeast of the family burial ground. The manor plantation, a part of Hell's Neck, remained in the Prettyman family for nearly 230 years until 1926.

The family of Ira

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Brittingham was in possession of the site from 1926 until 1971. After that, a local Methodist church came to oversee the tract until 2018. Members of the Ritter family actively farmed this from the 1960s through 2020.

Dedicated 2021

Erected 2021.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1676.

Location. 38° 45.841′ N, 75° 10.228′ W. Marker is in Lewes, Delaware, in Sussex County. It is in Lewes & Rehoboth Hundred. It is at the intersection of New Road and Lynn Road, on the right when traveling west on New Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16251 New Rd, Lewes DE 19958, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Delaware’s Beaches.

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,

one of the original

Tower Hill Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 29, 2026

2. Tower Hill Marker - wide view

Thirteen Colonies,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A Place of the Siconese (a few steps from this marker); In Honor of Ted Freeman (approx. one mile away); A History of the Junction & Breakwater Railroad (approx. one mile away); Lewes (approx. 1.1 miles away); Janet Nowakowski (approx. 1.1 miles away); Coach William W. "Bill" Collick (approx. 1.1 miles away); Coach PJ Kesmodel (approx. 1.1 miles away); Carolyn Ivins (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lewes.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 29, 2026

3. Tower Hill Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 29, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.