Milford, Delaware
On February 7, 1807, the Delaware General Assembly approved the incorporation of the Town of Milford and the first board of commissioners was formed to govern the city. At that time, the incorporated area was only in Kent County, north of the Mispillion River.In greater Milford’s earliest days, more than 300 years ago, Native Americans harvested shell fish and small game and grew corn and melons. In Saw Mill Range, as Milford was then called, an active timber industry was underway. By the 1700’s a thriving shipbuilding industry supported the community’s economy.
(source-Chamber Of Commerce)
Harrington, Delaware
Before it was Harrington, the area was known as “Clark’s Corner”. It was fashioned out of about 6,000 acres of Mispillion forest, an enormous stand of trees that covered most of Kent & Sussex counties.
In 1780, Benjamin Clark, a descendant of the area’s first European settlers, built a home and tavern at the corner of what were then the Frederica and Milford roads. The tavern became a stop for stagecoaches; farmers came to exchange news and barter their goods. It was a logical place for a railroad stop when the Delaware Railroad put a junction there in 1856, allowing easy access to Philadelphia and Wilmington. The railroad greatly accelerated the population and industrial growth of the town. The following year, a post office was established and in 1862, the name “Harrington” was adopted in honor of Samuel Maxwell Harrington, chancellor of the Delaware Railroad.
In 1869, the City of Harrington was incorporated and town limits were defined.
(source-cityofharrington.com)
Felton, Delaware
The town of Felton was laid out in 1856 when the Delaware Railroad reached this area. Located between Berrytown to the west and Johnny Cake Landing (Frederica) to the east, the town became a “whistle” stop on the new railroad line. Owing its existence to the railroad, Felton was named in honor of Samuel M. Felton, President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and a major force in bringing railroad service to central and southern Delaware. Incorporated on February 2, 1861, Felton’s boundaries formed a one-half mile square with the railroad line running north-south throught the middle of town. Passenger rail service to Felton ended in the early 1950’s.
(source-delaware.gov)
Frederica, Delaware
The most historic site in Frederica is Barratt's Chapel east of town. The chapel is where the Methodist Church of America was organized in 1784
Houston, Delaware
Lincoln, Delaware
Lincoln (also Lincoln City[1]) is a small unincorporated community in northern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Seaford, Delaware Micropolitan Statistical Area. The planner that originally laid out the town planned for it to become the county seat. Lincoln lies on U.S. Route 113 between Ellendale and Milford. The town was never incorporated, however streets were laid out and several businesses and residences came, surrounding the current Norfolk Southern Railway line. Lincoln is the headquarters of the Delaware Coast Line Railroad.
Recently there has been a push to incorporate Lincoln, primarily for two reasons. First, the city of Milford is quickly growing towards Lincoln and could eventually envelope the town. Secondly, the Delaware Department of Transportation is developing a Milford By-Pass for US 113 that could divide the small community of Lincoln, effectively cutting off neighbors from each other, as well as causing the removal of several homes and businesses and at least one of the two schools in Lincoln
(source-wikipedia)
Magnolia, Delaware
The Town of Magnolia was officially recognized by the Delaware General Assembly as an incorporated area on April 3, 1885. There are two locations in Magnolia that appear on the National Register of Historic Places. One location is the John B. Lindale House, a privately owned residence that was built in the early 1900s that has both agricultural and architectural significance and was home to one of the last great peach barons in Delaware. A sign located outside the house proudly boasts:
“This is Magnolia, the center of the universe around which the earth revolves.”
The other registered location is the Matthew Lowber House, which also has architectural historical significance. Built in 1774 as a domestic dwelling, this Quaker mansion has brought much publicity to Magnolia with its amazing brickwork and huge sycamore trees
(source-magnolia.delaware.gov)
Greenwood, Delaware
Historical sources list 1858 as the founding date for Greenwood. The Town’s Charter was first enacted in 1901 and the Town was reincorporated in 1987. With the attraction of the railroad station, the Town of Greenwood rapidly became a market town and business center, while the original settlement of St. Johnstown declined and disappeared.
The Town population was supported by a variety of businesses and industries including: agriculture, particularly orchards and row crops, general and specialty retail, a forge, a gristmill, a sawmill and a cannery (Scharf, 1888). A second railroad, the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia short line, ran east-west through town in the 1910′s.
(source-greenwood.delaware.gov)
|