Block House Pond, a natural spring-fed pond, has provided fresh water, ice, and recreation to the City of Lewes for several centuries. The pond was likely named for a nearby blockhouse built to protect Lewes in the 1670s, where the town residents . . . — — Map (db m232744) HM
Rabbit's Ferry School educated Native American and African American students of the Robinsville area from 1920-1965. Built in 1919 through Pierre S. du Pont's school rebuilding program, the school served students in grades 1-8 and later, grades 1-6. . . . — — Map (db m150097) HM
Built in 1917 for the Pennsylvania Railroad, this vintage caboose was operated by Delaware Coast Line Railroad between Georgetown and Lewes from around 1982 until 2017. It was on the last train to leave Lewes in December 2017. Restoration . . . — — Map (db m222499) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m198907) HM
In 1916, two brothers, Drs. James Beebe, Sr. and Richard C. Beebe, had a shared vision to bring modern-day medicine to Southern Delaware. The Beebe brothers started the first hospital in Sussex County on Savannah Road in Lewes. The hospital began as . . . — — Map (db m190352) HM
As a community-owned, not-for-profit hospital, Beebe Hospital depends on the generous support of individuals, foundations, and businesses. In 1921, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Shaw were responsible for the first major philanthropic gift to Beebe . . . — — Map (db m199263) HM
Erected By The
State of Delaware
To Commemorate The Settlement
On This Spot, Of The First
Dutch Colony, Under De Vries,
A.D. 1631.
Here was the cradling of a state.
"That Delaware exists as a separate
Commonwealth is due to . . . — — Map (db m37400) HM
A native and lifelong resident of this community, Henry Fisher (1735-1792) was one of Delaware's foremost leaders in the struggle for American Independence. His prominence as a skilled pilot and his firm support of the Patriot cause resulted in his . . . — — Map (db m39377) HM
Under orders from Peter Stuyvesant the Dutch erected Fort at Hoorn Kil (Lewes Creek) 1659 but were soon dispossessed by the Marylanders. Here was also a communistic settlement established in 1662 by Mennonites from Holland under Peter Cornelius . . . — — Map (db m152856) HM
The Dutch in 1673 established a court in Hoorn Kil for the inhabitants “on the east and west sides of Cape Henlopen unto Bomties (Bombay) Hook.” Governor Andros of New York in 1676 established an English court at Whorekill, the jurisdiction of which . . . — — Map (db m19408) HM
Here lived Ryves Holt, colonial chief justice; and four governors, David Hall, who commanded a Delaware regiment in the Revolution, Daniel Rodney and Caleb Rodney, sons of John Rodney, and Ebe W. Tunnell; also Colonel Henry Fisher, Revolutionary . . . — — Map (db m19409) HM
The origin of this church can be traced to the earliest days of Presbyterianism in America. A congregation was established here in 1692 under the leadership of the Reverend Samuel Davis. The steady flow of immigrants from Scotland and Ireland . . . — — Map (db m38573) HM
Elegant Design
The Lewes railroad swing bridge, originally designated Bridge No. 38.71 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, carried the Delaware Coast Line Railroad and predecessor railroads over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Built in 1916 by the . . . — — Map (db m244755) HM
Last Stop: Lewes Station!
The Junction & Breakwater Railroad's (J&BRR) Lewes Station once stood near where the Lewes Public Library is now located. The railroad station served as a stop on the J&BRR route to and from Georgetown and . . . — — Map (db m244756) HM
This house is believed to have been built by Samuel Paynter, a carpenter who purchased this property in 1737. Following its completion, the house and surrounding land was sold in 1741 to Luke Shields, a prominent bay and river pilot. The close . . . — — Map (db m48920) HM
Otis Smith was born in Brooklyn, NY, on December 6, 1909. During his lifetime, he became a "captain of industry" whose complex of family companies extended along the east coast of the US and as far away as Peru and Chile. He was motivated to come . . . — — Map (db m198891) HM
Bridging History
The Junction & Breakwater Railroad (J&BRR) was founded in 1857 but because it was built in stages, it took more than a decade for the railroad to link Harrington with Lewes, with trains finally running to Lewes in early . . . — — Map (db m244426) HM
Bridge Mechanics
The Lewes Swing Bridge (Bridge 3-928R) was a center-bearing bobtail swing bridge. The bobtail name comes from the bridge span's asymmetrical design, where the span's longer "arm" extended approximately 60 feet while the . . . — — Map (db m244433) HM
Preservation of the Bridge
The federal government is frequently engaged with projects that affect historic properties. Sometimes these projects result in the deconstruction or altering of properties. In 1966 Congress established the . . . — — Map (db m244447) HM
Station Master's House
342 Pilottown Road
has been entered on the
National Register of Historic Places
as part of the Lewes Historic District
by the United States Department of Interior
under the provisions of the
National . . . — — Map (db m150099) HM
Commemorates the establishment of the first permanent European presence on the Delaware Bay
1631
In 1631, a group of settlers under David Pietersz de Vries landed near this spot to form a whale hunting station and agricultural . . . — — Map (db m290179) HM
This railroad swing bridge, No. 3-928R, was built in 1916 to carry the Delaware, Maryland & Virginia Railroad over the newly constructed Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. The railroad was originally built to service menhaden fish processing factories in Lewes; . . . — — Map (db m244754) HM
A rare example of a hand-cranked, bobtail swing bridge. Built in 1916 by the Pennsylvania RR, it remained in service until 2017. It was moved to this site in February 2022.
[Third Panel]
The bridge and grounds are . . . — — Map (db m244751) HM
Theodore C. Freeman was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania on February 18, 1930.
When he was fifteen months old, Ted's family moved to Lewes, Delaware.
As Ted grew up, aviation became his passion. On his 16th birthday, Ted earned his pilot's . . . — — Map (db m198890) HM
Archaeological work in 2018, adjacent to the banks of Prettyman's Branch, revealed prehistoric human activity has taken place at what became Tower Hill Farm. Going back 5,000 years and as recent as 600 years ago, artifacts that the indigenous people . . . — — Map (db m301077) HM
Carolyn Ivins was the first field hockey coach at the newly consolidated Cape Henlopen High School, leading the program from 1969 to a 1979 state championship, the first for a downstate team. She began coaching field hockey at Lewes High School in . . . — — Map (db m300308) HM
Coach Pepper began his Cape coaching career in 1978 with the desire to "pay it forward" to the next generation of Viking athletes. Over the course of 45 years, Pepper coached Track & Field, Cross Country, Wrestling, Jr. High Football and Middle . . . — — Map (db m300305) HM
Coach Janet Maull-Martin has been a pillar of "firsts" in the Cape community from the very start. In 1968 she was the first African-American female to play a varsity sport at Lewes High School. She then went on to attend Cape Henlopen High School . . . — — Map (db m300306) HM
In 2009 Coach Paul Joseph "PJ" Kesmodel took over the Cape Henlopen Girls' Lacrosse team and took them to eight consecutive State Championship titles as head coach. That same year under his leadership, Cape became the first public school to win a . . . — — Map (db m300309) HM
Coach William W. (Bill) Collick has coached, taught, and served as an administrator throughout five decades (70's, 80's, 90's, 2000's, and 2010's) within the state of Delaware. His level of coaching has spanned from the jr. high school level through . . . — — Map (db m300310) HM
Dan Cook began his coaching career at Cape in 1982. He coached the Cape boys' tennis team to three conference championships and four tournament wins. Coaching the girls' tennis program Cook led his team to a conference championship, conference . . . — — Map (db m300304) HM
When Philadelphia-born Dave Frederick moved to Lewes in 1975 to accept a Cape teaching and coaching position, he quickly found his second hometown. Frederick coached three seasons a year for the next 13 years. As head track coach 1976 - 86 and head . . . — — Map (db m300303) HM
Coach Janet Nowakowski was the face of girls' athletics at Rehoboth High School in the 1960s, coaching varsity and JV field hockey, basketball, and softball. Even though RHS was an extremely small school, Coach Nowakowski led her field hockey teams . . . — — Map (db m300311) HM
Rock Solid Skoglund was an unwavering leader on the sidelines of the Cape field hockey program for both middle school and high school squads. Serving three different tenures as head coach, Skoglund was the go-to coach for dialing in success. Her . . . — — Map (db m300307) HM
Coach Tom Hickman is the Father of Track at Cape Henlopen High School. He coached
state championship teams in 1971, 72, 73 and '75. Hickman harnessed the cultural and
racial diversity of the newly formed school district and turned that mix into . . . — — Map (db m300302) HM
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.
— — Map (db m301078) HM
Two massive breakwaters shield Lewes Harbor from the punishing seas where Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet. They create an 800-acre anchorage that is nearly empty now, but in the early 1900s it was capable of sheltering 1,000 vessels from . . . — — Map (db m39380) HM
Honorable Christopher J. Christie, Governor of New Jersey
Honorable Jack A Markwell, Governor of Delaware
Celebrating the Cap May-Lewes Ferry's 50 years of continuous
service and to the men and women who have volunteered their . . . — — Map (db m176162) HM
Located on the eastern end of the Delaware Breakwater, this brown conical structure was built in 1885. The tower is composed of four tiers of cast iron plates lined with two feet of brick. It is twenty-two feet in diameter at the base and is set . . . — — Map (db m39378) HM
Marine pilots know the shoals, lumps, and ledges of the Delaware intimately. They know the bends of the dredged channel, the characteristics of every lighthouse and range light, and the location of wrecks. They understand tides and currents and . . . — — Map (db m39379) HM
A temporary light was established on the south end of the recently completed National Harbor of Refuge Breakwater on January 1, 1902. It was replaced in 1908 by a three-story frame lighthouse. A series of storms damaged the structure, resulting in . . . — — Map (db m39374) HM
Theodore C. Freeman was born in Haverford, Pennsylvania on February 18, 1930.
When he was fifteen months old, Ted's family moved to Lewes, Delaware.
As Ted grew up, aviation became his passion. On his 16th birthday, Ted earned his pilot's . . . — — Map (db m114560) HM
Lewes has been a Port-of-Call and a Harbor-of-Refuge since the 17th century. For generations during the ages of sail, a public burial ground in this immediate locality became the final resting place for hundred of sailors who lost their lives and . . . — — Map (db m176163) HM
• James Beebe purchased this property in 1838 from George Julius of Philadelphia, PA. James later sold it to George Beebe, who in turn sold it to Clarence Beebe.
• Some time between the years 1868 - 1891, this house was built, and in 1894 . . . — — Map (db m190353) HM
c.1800. Contains hand-hewn timbers, cypress shingles, fine stairway, interior and exterior moulding. Cellar walls are made of sailing-ship ballast stones and brick. Moved & restored in 1962 by the Lewes Historical Society. — — Map (db m113692) HM
Late 18th century house which replaces original wing burnt in 1922. Donated by the Town of Milton in 1965. Moved and restored by the Lewes Historical Society. — — Map (db m113693) HM
Originally built in Pilottown c. 1800, one of the few remaining Dutch-styled homes typical of 18th c. Lewes. Named for George Peter Chambers, renowned sea captain and early resident. — — Map (db m190355) HM
This house was the home of Colonel David Hall (1752-1817), patriot of the Revolution and Governor of Delaware. Devoted to the struggle for American Independence, he enlisted in the Continental Army in 1776 and was commissioned as a Captain in the . . . — — Map (db m38011) HM
Serving Lewes with a general store and its harbor
as ship chandlers, the Dodd family occupied this
site from the latter part of the 18th Century until
it was acquired in 1929 by Benjamin Ableman of
Georgetown from one Joseph Frank Dodd, the . . . — — Map (db m37099) HM
Built on the banks of the Lewes Canal, this original cottage has a corner fireplace, floor timbers made from salvaged shipwrecks, and an original, and an original cypress shingle exterior. Also, much of the interior is original.
Likely a . . . — — Map (db m190354) HM
Born in Ocean View, Delaware, Fred attended Lord Baltimore School and with his friends often explored the natural and historic scenery of Old Sussex. Fred proudly served his country in World War II in the U.S. Army 1059th Signal Company Service . . . — — Map (db m113697) HM
On May 25, 1798 at 4:00 pm, H.M. Brig DeBraak capsized and sank off the coast of Cape Henlopen, Delaware during a sudden squall. This memorial honors the thirty-three members of the eighty-five man crew who were lost at sea.
James . . . — — Map (db m38436) HM
Established c. 1870 as Broadkin Station, the Harbeson Railroad Station served first the Junction & Breakwater and later the Pennsylvania Railroads as a passenger depot for nearly sixty years. After that time, the station continued to serve as a . . . — — Map (db m113696) HM
The land upon which this house now stands was acquired in 1675 by Helmanus Wiltbank, a prominent early resident and property owner of Lewes. The oldest portion of the present structure is believed to have been constructed by Cornelius Wiltbank . . . — — Map (db m48936) HM
John Penrose Virden, Delaware River Pilot, built this house in 1888. He was a co-founder & the first President of the Pilots Association. Virden died in 1934 and is buried across the street in St. Peters Cemetery. — — Map (db m49591) HM
Used to take Del. Bay and River Pilots
from pilot boat Philadelphia and
pilot boat Delaware
to and from ships in Del. Bay
before World War II
Rowed by 4 apprentice pilots
Built by
Dave Watson
Lewes
Master Small Boat . . . — — Map (db m114550) HM
Lewes began as a colony established by the Dutch West India Company in the spring of 1631. Twenty-eight men were sent to establish a whaling station, grow tobacco and engage in fur trade with Native Americans. It was the first European settlement in . . . — — Map (db m198895) HM
Under orders from Peter Stuyvesant the Dutch erected Fort At Hoorn Kil (Lewes Creek) 1659 but were soon dispossessed by the Marylanders. Here was also a communistic settlement established in 1662 by Mennonites from Holland under Peter Cornelis . . . — — Map (db m38194) HM
On north side of town was Zwaanendael, first Dutch settlement on Delaware soil. Founded 1631 on creek, named by settlers Hoorn Kil in honor of town of Hoorn in Holland. Colony was destroyed by Indians same year. DeVries, a director of company which . . . — — Map (db m19407) HM
The Lewes-Rehoboth Canal connecting Rehoboth Bay and Delaware Bay was authorized by the U.S. River and Harbor Act of 1912. Initially, the canal was envisioned as a means of access to the sea for farmers and saw mills along the Indian River and Bay. . . . — — Map (db m19307) HM
The United States Life Saving Service (U.S.L.S.S.) was commissioned to rescue shipwrecked mariners along our nation's coast. Established in 1876 and 1884, respectively, the Cape Henlopen and Lewes stations worked together to save thousands of . . . — — Map (db m38472) HM
Lightship LV-118
Overfalls
has been designated a
National Historic Landmark
This vessel possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America
Used from 1820 to 1983, lightships . . . — — Map (db m232749) HM
Responsible for establishing aids for the navigation of our nation’s waterways, the United States government initiated the use of manned lightships or “floating lighthouses" in 1820. These vessels addressed many needs. They could be placed in . . . — — Map (db m19312) HM
The Atlantic Menhaden is a small herring-like fish found in the coastal waters of the Eastern United States. Used by Native Americans to fertilize crops, these oily fish were also used by European settlers to produce fuel for lamps. In the mid-19th . . . — — Map (db m268272) HM
The Monomoy story and the story of the Lightship Overfalls are about saving the lives of seamen. The twenty-six foot Monomoy rowboat is constructed of oak and cedar and was designed in the perilous days of early WWII. Then, in the greatest . . . — — Map (db m232753) HM
Built in 1790 as a meeting place for Methodists, this structure originally stood at third and Market Streets and
consisted of one large room with an end gallery (slave box). In 1828 it was moved to Church and Mulberry Streets
and enlarged to . . . — — Map (db m48916) HM
In 1680, Governor Andros authorized
the erection of a court house of logs
to cost 5000 pounds of tobacco.
Near this wall was the second building
used from 1740 to 1791, when the county
seat was moved to Georgetown.
The church rented building . . . — — Map (db m37347) HM
In Honor of Otis H. Smith
Entrepreneur, Civil Servent
Mayor, City of Lewes
1950-1968
Otis H. Smith was the founder and President of
Fish Products Co., one of the country's largest
menhaden processing operations.
During his long . . . — — Map (db m38597) HM
The Lightship Overfalls is one of the 179 ships that served as floating lighthouses on America's three coasts and the Great Lakes between 1820 and 1985. Lightships were used where it was not feasible to build a lighthouse, possibly because the . . . — — Map (db m38840) HM
In this house lived Ryves Holt
Chief Justice
of “Three Lower Counties On Delaware,”
1745 to 1763
Member of Assembly
of “Three Lower Counties On Delaware,”
1734-1737, 1742-1744, 1746-1755,
And Speaker of Assembly . . . — — Map (db m221639) HM
For nearly 200 years, towns along the Delaware Bay were renowned for shipbuilding centers.
In Lewes, one of the earliest-known shipcarpenters was William Beverly in 1683. Among the last were John and Peter Maull, whose final boat left their . . . — — Map (db m232845) HM
In 1680, the Justices of the County petitioned Governor Edmond Andros for the right to grant lands. Under this authority, a lot of ground at this location was reserved for “publick use.” Many of the settlers who came to this area . . . — — Map (db m38630) HM
Known as the “Great White Hurricane,” the Blizzard of 1888 was one of the most devastating weather events in recorded history. Affecting coastal states from Virginia to Maine, this paralyzing storm resulted in widespread death and destruction. With . . . — — Map (db m19316) HM
In March of 1813, the Royal Navy established a blockade of the Delaware Bay and River. The British squadron, under the command of Commodore John P. Beresford, RN, took up stations off Lewes and the Delaware Capes, and began to conduct raids along . . . — — Map (db m19308) HM
In March 1813, the Royal Navy under the command of Commodore John P. Beresford established a blockade of the Delaware Bay and River, conducting raids along the coast to disrupt maritime commerce and shipping. On this location was one of two . . . — — Map (db m244907) HM
Last remaining Lewes House bearing the scar of the War of 1812. Patch on foundation shows where a cannonball struck on April 6th or 7th, in the year 1813. Restored by Lewes Historical Society. — — Map (db m164152) HM
The War of 1812 had a major impact on the town of Lewes and surrounding area. The naval blockade that was initiated by the British in March of 1813 lasted for most of the next two years. With maritime commerce limited, the local economy suffered. . . . — — Map (db m30358) HM
This stone is from Castello di Verrazano, the explorer's ancestral home in Val di Greve Chianti, Italy. He was engaged by the King of France in 1524 to lead a voyage of discovery to North America aboard his ship Dauphine. That Voyage is . . . — — Map (db m63067) HM
This house is an excellent example of Sussex County architecture circa 1730. It was moved to its present site in 1980 to help celebrate Lewes' 350th anniversary in 1981. — — Map (db m113690) HM
The Lightship Overfalls LV-118/WAL-539 had a long, distinguished career marking the shoal waters and guiding ships to safe harbor on the East Coast. After decommissioning, the Coast Guard donated her to the Lewes Historical Society (LHS) and she . . . — — Map (db m232751) HM
The New Devon Inn
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior 1926 — — Map (db m38157) HM
During the War of 1812, British vessels blockaded the mouth of Delaware Bay in an effort to disrupt shipping patterns and supply lines and cause economic hardship in the Mid-Atlantic. But when crews attempted to land at Lewes to replenish their . . . — — Map (db m38598) HM
This building was constructed in 1898 by the Sussex Trust Title and Safe Deposit Company. It was opened in October of that year, and continued to serve as the Lewes branch of the bank until being replaced by a new structure on Second Street in 1911. . . . — — Map (db m37396) HM
In honor of those who made the supreme sacrifice and of those who served in World Wars I and II. They have fought, "to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy." — — Map (db m113689) WM
The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the first European settlement in Delaware. The building is a careful adaptation of the town hall in Hoorn, Holland which was constructed in 1613. Exhibits in the museum . . . — — Map (db m198896) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m190364) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m190427) HM
Originally known as Broadkill Hundred, after creek of that name, kill being Dutch work for creek. Name changed by General Assembly 1833 when Georgetown Hundred was set off. In 1835 Act was repealed, and Broadkiln Hundred embraced same territory as . . . — — Map (db m36881) HM
Thomas H. Draper began his broadcasting career in 1967 with the purchase of his first radio station WTHD in Milford, Delaware, which bore his initials as its call letters. Five years later, he signed on another Milford station, WAFL-FM. In 1980, . . . — — Map (db m244423) HM
Next Stop: Nassau Station!
The small community of Nassau grew up in this location around 1870, when the Junction & Breakwater Railroad (J&BRR) created a railroad station here. Within 20 years, Nassau contained residences, a Methodist . . . — — Map (db m190386) HM
Two of the many lighthouses that have guided mariners on Delaware Bay for nearly 250 years can be seen from Lewes beach.
The rust-colored Delaware Breakwater East End Lighthouse was built in 1885. It replaced an earlier lighthouse that was . . . — — Map (db m38524) HM
Menhaden, a small bony, oily fish was pursued not to be eaten but to be pressed for its oil and ground into fertilizer. Lewes' fisheries began in 1883 and reached their zenith in 1953 when the docks at Lewes strained under the weight on millions . . . — — Map (db m38820) HM
St. George AME church was established prior to 1880 on land donated by Peter Lewis, a free black shipbuilder and AME church delegate. Initially, congregants met at the Old Bethel Meeting House, but soon acquired a corn crib to hold services in on . . . — — Map (db m150098) HM
The University of Delaware's 2-megawatt wind turbine generates clean power and represents an important contribution to renewable energy development in the United States.
Clean Energy
Using wind power reduces our use of fossil . . . — — Map (db m113701) HM
The University of Delaware (UD) has been involved with marine research since 1950, when a group of local fishermen became alarmed by drastic decline in Delaware Bay fisheries approached the Delaware General Assembly for help. The legislators . . . — — Map (db m113700) HM
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