Historical Markers and War Memorials in Laurel, Delaware
Georgetown is the county seat for Sussex County
Laurel is in Sussex County
Sussex County(490) ► ADJACENT TO SUSSEX COUNTY Kent County(263) ► Caroline County, Maryland(89) ► Dorchester County, Maryland(148) ► Wicomico County, Maryland(94) ► Worcester County, Maryland(95) ► Cape May County, New Jersey(169) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
On Market Street (Delaware Route 24) at Poplar Street, on the left when traveling west on Market Street.
In 1801 there was a great revival of religion amoung the residents of the area. The growing appeal of the Methodist movement resulted in hundreds of new members for the church. A class was formed in the Laurel area, and in 1802 a church was . . . — — Map (db m11816) HM
On Central Avenue (Business U.S. 13) 0.1 miles south of Market Street (Delaware Route 24), on the right when traveling south.
In the fall of 1831, Reverend Thomas Pearson came to Laurel to assist with the establishment of a Methodist Protestant congregation in the community. With its founding, the church became one of the first of this denomination in Delaware. Early . . . — — Map (db m4430) HM
On Sycamore Road, on the right when traveling east.
On June 6. 1890. Benjamin H. Elliot and his wife. Sarah Ann Hastings Elliot. donated this land and building materials for the construction of Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church. They had previously donated land for the site of Sycamore Public . . . — — Map (db m245053) HM
On 102 West 6th Street (Local Road 70), on the right when traveling east.
On June 23, 1800, a charter was issued by the
Grand Lodge of Maryland for Lodge No. 31 in
“Laurel Town.” The first Worshipful Master of
the Lodge was Jesse Green (1766-1834). A Maryland
native who moved to Delaware in the 1790s, . . . — — Map (db m60600) HM
On Central Avenue (Alternate U.S. 13) 0.1 miles south of 8th Street, on the left when traveling south.
This site was originally part of a tract known as "Bachelor's Delight". From 1711 to 1768 it was included in a 3,000 acre Nanticoke Indian Reservation, authorized by an act of the Maryland Assembly. A village known as "Laurel" existed as early as . . . — — Map (db m4423) HM
Near East Market Street (Delaware Route 24) just east of North Central Avenue (Alternate U.S. 13), on the right when traveling west.
Dedicated to the honor of and in loving memory of the victims of the April 7, 2005 shooting
Jamell Weston (10-3-80 to 4-7-05) •
Davondale "Pete" Peters (8-24-76 to 4-7-05) •
Marcus Cannon •
Carla Green •
Marsha Hankerson •
Anthony . . . — — Map (db m164970) HM
On Mount Pleasant Road (County Road 493) near Sharptown Road (State Route 24), on the left when traveling north.
The origin of this church can be traced to the organization of a local society of Methodists in 1778. The first meetings of the group, then known as the Broad Creek Society, were held in the homes of its members. On October 19, 1779, Methodist . . . — — Map (db m60624) HM
On Seaford Highway (Business U.S. 13) near Mount Zion Road, on the left when traveling north.
This congregation was organized in 1809. Services were held in a structure that was first known as Elzey Moore's Meeting House, and later renamed Wesley Chapel. With the closing of Wesley in 1852, the congregation was divided. On January 8, 1853, . . . — — Map (db m4539) HM
On Chipman’s Pond Road (County Road 465) near Christ Church Road (County Road 465A), on the right when traveling west.
First native son of Laurel to be Governor of Delaware 1805-1808
Hero of the Revolution 1775-1781
Member, Continental Congress 1786-1788. — — Map (db m61107) HM WM
On Chipman's Pond Road (County Road 465) at Christ Church Roads (County Road 465A) on Chipman's Pond Road.
This Federalist served as the governor of Delaware between 1805-1808. He was born in Laurel in 1752, attended Old Christ Church, and is buried in this churchyard. Mitchell was commissioned as adjutant of militia 1775, promoted captain in 1776, and . . . — — Map (db m39779) HM
On Chipman's Pond Road (County Road 465) at Christ Church Road (County Road 465A) on Chipman's Pond Road.
Established on Broad Creek in 1770 as a "Chapel of Ease" of Stepney Parish, Maryland on land purchased by a levy of 80,000 pounds of tobacco. Building completed by Robert Holston in 1772 at a cost of £510. — — Map (db m39778) HM
On West 6th Street (County Road 492) just east of Webb Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
The Paul Laurence Dunbar School educated African American students in Laurel in grades 1-11 from 1921-1965. Constructed as part of philanthropist Pierre S. du Pont's school rebuilding program, the Dunbar School replaced a small wood-framed school in . . . — — Map (db m198843) HM
On Dogwood Lane, on the right when traveling south.
The roots of local Methodism can be traced to the
late 18th century, when Bishop Francis Asbury and
others visited this area to spread the message of
their faith. By the 1820s there was a growing
movement within the Methodist Episcopal . . . — — Map (db m60465) HM
On Pine Street just north of East 5th Street, on the right when traveling north.
This property contributes to the
Laurel
Historic District
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
1988
[Additional plaque on the grounds of the house:]
Shepard
House
Circa 1840, 1900
"Wisteria . . . — — Map (db m165014) HM
On Old Stage Road (County Road 68) near Calfant Drive, on the right when traveling north.
In 1865 the Maryland Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church established a “mission” or charge circuit in southwestern Sussex County. At the time local members of that faith were holding meetings in Sharp’s school, a one room school house . . . — — Map (db m168193) HM
On Wootten Road, 0.1 miles east of Trussum Pond Road, on the right when traveling east.
Trussum Pond
Tranquil waters trapped by a grist mill dam in the early nineteenth century made Trussum Pond a haven for the bald cypress. However, the trees now seen dotting the pond's surface are all that remain of a once extensive . . . — — Map (db m4540) HM
On East 6th Street just east of Spruce Street, on the right when traveling east.
In the 1830s the oldest portion of this structure, a one-room house, is believed to have been built. The house was enlarged significantly in the 1850s with the addition of a slightly taller story-and-a-half center portion and a full two-story . . . — — Map (db m164980) HM
On Delaware Avenue, 0.1 miles north of Market Street (Delaware Route 24), on the right when traveling north.
Here was Laurel's ancient "Wading Place", a ford for Native Americans and colonial settlers. Broad Creek crosses this fall in its flow to the Nanticoke River and Chesapeake Bay. For centuries, the Nanticoke Indians, an Algonquin people, lived in the . . . — — Map (db m11817) HM
On Philips Hill Road (County Road 472), on the right when traveling west.
In 1865, Reverend Isaac Adkins of the
Methodist Protestant Church began to
conduct services in Dorothy School House.
The congregation was formally organized
the following year. Meetings continued
to be held in the school until 1873,
when . . . — — Map (db m61577) HM
On North Central Avenue (Alternate U.S. 13) at East Market Street (Delaware Route 24), on the right when traveling north on North Central Avenue.
Dedicated in memory of all U.S. Veterans
[Additional plaque on the grounds of the fountain:]
Eagle Scout Project
Dedicated to all the men and women in the United States Military Services who have faithfully served and those that . . . — — Map (db m164972) WM
Near Trap Pond Road at Bald Cypress Lane, on the right when traveling east.
From Ironworks to Gristmills
Many of the ponds in this area, including Trap Pond, were created in the late 1700s. The earliest dams were built to produce waterpower for ironworks. The waterpower ran bellows for furnaces that created iron . . . — — Map (db m198864) HM
Named after William C. Jason, the second President of State College for Colored Students (now Delaware State University), Jason Beach was a recreational destination for people of color from the 1930s through the early 1970s. Along with use as a . . . — — Map (db m200985) HM
Near Bald Cypress Lane, 0.2 miles south of Trap Pond Road, on the left when traveling south.
For more than a quarter century, Senator Venables was an admired and influential legislator, serving 26 years in the Delaware General Assembly. During his many years as the co-chair of the state's Bond Bill Committee, he was able to garner . . . — — Map (db m198862) HM
On Wootten Road (County Road 72) 0.1 miles west of Whaleys Road, on the right when traveling west.
Saving an Historic Landmark
The Bethesda Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1879 to replace an older chapel. This rural country church is an excellent example of the Greek Revival style of architecture. Although it was . . . — — Map (db m198870) HM
On Wootten Road (County Road 72) 0.1 miles west of Whaleys Road, on the right when traveling west.
Once Common, Now Rare
The Bethesda Methodist Episcopal Church is a quiet reminder of the past. It may be hard to imagine now, but this was a central religious and community gathering site for 150 years. By the late 1800s, the church . . . — — Map (db m198868) HM
Near Bald Cypress Lane, 0.2 miles south of Tap Pond Road, on the right when traveling east.
Trap Pond was created in the late 1700s to power a small water mill.
Today the pond is a prime feature of this park—Delaware's first state park. Spanning about 3,800 acres, the park protects part of the ancient Great Cypress Swamp and . . . — — Map (db m198860) HM
