Byfield
KC-53: Near this site stood the boyhood home of Caesar Rodney, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Brigadier General of the State’s militia (1775-1778), and President (Governor) of Delaware (1778-1781). Byfield was originally settled in the early 1680’s by Daniel Jones, Rodney’s maternal great grandfather. Following Jones’ death, it became the family seat for three […]
Star Hill AME Church
KC-50: By the end of the 18th century this area was home to a large number of African Americans, many of them freed slaves. Their settlement was largely due to the efforts of local Quakers. A congregation of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was established here circa 1863. On June 12, 1866, the congregation purchased […]
St. Jones Neck: Site of Settlement in the 1660’s
KC-44: This part of what is now Kent County, Delaware was one of the state’s earliest sites of English colonization. Beginning in the 1660’s plantations were established along the St. Jones River. The Dickinson family of Talbot County, Maryland was among the families who obtained early land patents in this area. Parts of “Merritts”, “Whartons” […]
Dover
KC-35: 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 1966. […]
West Dover Hundred
KC-10: Originally part of St. Jones Hundred, renamed Dover Hundred, 1823, the boundaries being Little Creek on north and St. Jones Creek on south, extending from Delaware River to Maryland line. Dover Hundred was divided 1877 into two hundreds, called West Dover Hundred, and East Dover Hundred. Installed in 1932. Sponsors: Historical Markers Commission Marker […]
Kenton Hundred
Created in 1869 by joining of western halves of Duck Creek and Little Creek Hundreds. Is bounded on the north by Blackbird Hundred in New Castle County, and on the east by Duck Creek and Little Creek Hundreds, on the south by East Dover and West Dover Hundreds, and on the west by Maryland line. […]
Dover
RG# 6100 In 1683, William Penn first introduced the idea of a town to be called Dover as the court town for Kent County. However, it was not until 1717 that a plot was laid out for streets, squares, and lots. By 1722, a courthouse was built on the square (now known as The […]
Yearbooks at DPA
The Delaware Public Archives has a small collection of yearbooks researchers can use to learn about academic life through the 20th Century.
Contact, Hours & Location
Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room & First State Heritage Park Welcome Center Please see Visiting the DPA for the most up to date information Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room First State Heritage Park Welcome Center
The Cold War’s Effect on Dover Air Force Base and its Surrounding Communities
Dover Air Force Base has been a cornerstone of Dover, Delaware for over 60 years. What is little understood is the impact the base has had on the communities that surround it. On Saturday, August 6, at 10:30 a.m. MSgt Eric Czerwinski, USAF, (Retired) will present a program at the Delaware Public Archives about Dover […]
