The Brick Hotel
SC-139: This locally famous landmark was constructed in 1836 by Joshua S. Layton and Caleb B. Sipple, builders of the Sussex County Courthouse across the Square. It replaced a frame Public House that had stood on the site. County courts were held here during the construction of the Courthouse 1837-39. The accommodations and hospitality of […]
Relocation of The County Seat
The conflicting claims of the proprietors of Maryland and Pennsylvania resulted in a lengthy and sometimes violent dispute concerning the ownership and boundaries of Sussex County. Residents who had been Marylanders before the controversy was resolved in 1775, found themselves to be inconvenienced when traveling to Lewes, the original seat of government. Hundreds of persons […]
Pettijohn’s Old Field
The future home of Sussex County’s seat of government was a sparsely populated rural area when the 76 acres which would become the Town of Georgetown were purchased on May 9, 1791. Located “near the centre” of the country at a place known as “James Pettijohn’s Old Field,” the land was surveyed by Rhoads Shankland, […]
