Tribute to President George Washington
In 1796, the members of the General Assembly sent an address to President George Washington, on behalf of the citizens of Delaware, as a tribute of gratitude and homage for his service to the United States. This resolution is available digitally thanks to a grant funded in part by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
American Archives Month: Updating Our Past
Our first bid to save public records was long said to have been in 1818, but a project to digitize old legislative records just found this earlier proposal, introduced in January 1787, to create a state archive.
Delaware’s Struggle for Women’s Right to Vote
In March 1920, Governor John G. Townsend called a special session of the Delaware General Assembly to vote on the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Suffrage and anti-suffrage groups descended on Dover that spring to try to sway the vote in their favor. On May 5, 1920, the Delaware Senate ratified the amendment. The House […]
History Matters: Digitizing Delaware’s Early Legislative Papers
The General Assembly, Legislative Papers Collection consists of manuscript records reflecting the functions and activities of the General Assembly between 1724 and 1913. A portion of this collection (bulk dates 1731-1853) has been digitized as a result of a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, which promotes access to America’s historical records […]
Broadkiln Hundred
SC-29: Originally known as Broadkill Hundred, after creek of that name, kill being Dutch word for creek. Name changed by General Assembly 1833 when Georgetown Hundred was set off. In 1835 Act was repealed, and Broadkiln Hundred embraced same territory as before 1833. Georgetown Hundred again set off in 1861. Installed in 1932. Sponsors: Historical […]
Gumboro Hundred
SC-57: Created 1873 by Act of General Assembly from the southern parts of Broad Creek and Dagsboro Hundreds. Installed in 1932. Reinstalled in 1968. Sponsors: Historic Markers Commission, 1932 Public Archives Commission, 1968 Marker Photo Gallery: Resources Related to Millsboro, DE: Location: 34216 Millsboro Highway, Millsboro, DE 19966 Links to more resources:
State House
KC-A6: Completed in 1792 and restored in 1976, it was shared by Kent County and the State from 1792 to 1873. Prior to the construction of this building, an older county court house stood on the same site. That small brick structure, about twenty-five feet square, had been built in 1722. On July 29, 1776, […]
Coming of the Railroad
KC-99: Delaware rail transit began in 1832, when the New Castle & Frenchtown Railroad connected shipping traffic on the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River. In 1836, the General Assembly chartered the Delaware Railroad to build a line from the New Castle & Frenchtown to the state’s southern border. After financial delays, tracks reached here in […]
Nathaniel Mitchell (1752-1813)
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 appointed brigade major in 1779. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress between 1786-1788 […]
The Allee House
KC-A1: In 1706 John Allee, of a Huguenot family, bought a 600-acre tract, “Woodstock Bower,” of which this land is a part. One of his sons, Abraham, was prominent in Kent County affairs until his death in 1776: Member of the General Assembly 1726, Justice of the Peace 1738, Chief Ranger of Kent County 1749. […]
