County seat since 1680. William Penn, in 1683, ordered town site laid out and named Dover. Plotted in 1717. Temporary capital in 1777 and permanent capital since 1779. Federal Constitution ratified here in 1787, making Delaware first State in Union. State Constitutional Conventions held here in 1791-1792, 1831, 1852, and 1897.
Installed in 1940.
Public Archives Commission, 1940
1275 South State Street, Dover, DE 19901
Related Topics: Capital of Delaware, Constitutional Convention, Dover, Dover Delaware, Historical Markers, Kent County, Ratification of Federal Constitution, The First State, William Penn