Civil Air Patrol – Coastal Patrol Base Two
SC-205: Established in the opening days of World War II, the Civil Air Patrol was organized to provide civilian assistance with a variety of military activities including Coastal Defense. Utilizing privately-owned light aircraft, these citizen volunteers patrolled Atlantic waters in search of German submarines and their victims. Some of these planes were subsequently armed. A […]
Cannon-Maston House
SC-70: Cannon-Maston House In 1696, James Cannon received a patent for land at this location from the Proprietary government of Maryland. Known as Ickford, the tract became the property of his son Thomas Cannon in 1712. It is believed that he erected the first section of the present brick dwelling in 1727, and expanded the […]
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, […]
King George’s Tavern
KC-A5: From 1724 known as King George’s Tavern. On its sign was painted King George’s portrait, supplanted, during the Revolution, by the portrait of George Washington. For many years the old hostelry was the meeting place for political rallies and used for Gubernatorial receptions. Installed in 1933. Sponsors: Historic Markers Commission, 1933 Marker Photo Gallery: […]
Former Site of ILC Dover
KC-86: Makers of the Apollo Moonsuit In 1947 the International Latex Corporation established a specialty products division and chose this site for its location. The company’s rise to prominence as a supplier of aeronautic and aerospace equipment began in 1952 when it was contracted to produce high altitude pressure helmets for the military. By the […]
Smyrna Opera House and Town Hall
KC-77: In the spring of 1869, the Commissioners of Smyrna approved a plan to erect a Town Hall. Responding to the long-held desire of the citizens for a venue for public gatherings, architect Richard Mitchell designed the building to include a “hall” on the second floor. Ground was broken on July 15, 1869, and the […]
Buena Vista
NC-15: Built in 1845 by John M. Clayton (1796-1856) Secretary of State in President Taylor’s cabinet. He also served Delaware as U. S. Senator, jurist and Secretary of State. He drafted the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which eventually guaranteed that the Panama Canal would be open to ships of all nations. The house is now a state […]
New Castle Common
NCC-13: This land is part of a tract of one thousand acres set apart by William Penn in 1701 for the inhabitants of the town of New Castle. Trustees were appointed and incorporated by Penn’s heirs in 1764, whose successors still hold and manage the land. Installed in 1932. Reinstalled in 1968. Sponsors: Historic Markers […]
Transit of Venus Observatory
SC-252: In 1769, an international scientific effort was organized to observe a transit of Venus in order to determine the size of the solar system. This rare event, when Venus passes in the front of the Sun’s disk, makes such calculations possible when measured from widely separated sites. The American Philosophical Society sent Owen Biddle […]
History of Lake Comegys and Silver Lake
SC-238: Lake Comegys and Silver Lake are natural freshwater remnants of receding glaciers from the last Ice Age and are notable for their close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, The Nanticoke Tribe held summer encampments around Silver Lake to gather shellfish from the ocean, and various Native American artifacts have been found along the lake’s […]
