Zion African Methodist Episcopal
KC-110: The roots of this congregation can be traced to 1845, when a group of local residents met to formally organize Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church. With several churches established in the area by free African Americans during the mid-19th century, the town of Camden became an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Trustees of […]
Griffith’s Chapel / Williamsville Methodist Church
KC-109: When Methodism first came to this area in the late 18th century, residents worshipped in local homes and journeyed to nearby towns to attend services. On November 20, 1848 William and Sarah Griffith conveyed land at this location to Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church to build “thereon a church or place of worship”. […]
Felton Railroad Station
KC-105: In 1836 the Delaware General Assembly chartered the Delaware Railroad for the purpose of building a line from a junction with the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad to the southern border of the state. Due to poor economic conditions, construction was delayed for many years. The Delaware Railroad eventually reached this area in 1856. […]
Coming of the Railroad
Efforts to establish rail transportation in Delaware were realized in 1832 with the completion of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad connecting shipping traffic on the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River. The promise of railroads was clearly demonstrated, and in 1836 the General Assembly chartered the Delaware Railroad for the purpose of building a line […]
Union Lodge No. 7, A.F. & A. M.
The origin of organized Freemasonry in Dover can be traced to the formation of Old Lodge No. 18 on August 25, 1775. During its twelve years of existence, meetings were held on “The Green” at an inn which stood on the future site of the Kent County Courthouse. Members included such prominent Delawareans as John […]
Warner Mifflin
KC-91: Born into a slaveholding Quaker family in Virginia and later becoming an abolitionist, Warner Mifflin came to Delaware as a young man. An elder of the Religious Society of Friends, he traveled extensively to convince others to free their slaves, manumitting his own in 1774-75. In 1788, he was one of the founders of […]
Murderkill / Motherkiln Friends Meeting
KC-090: By 1712, Quakers of the Religious Society of Friends met “at the widow Needham’s at Murderkill Creek,” later establishing as Motherkiln Preparative Meeting. Circa 1760, a meetinghouse was constructed on this site. The structure burned soon thereafter, and for a time the Friends debated locating to a site near Tidbury Creek. A brick meetinghouse […]
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 […]
The Barracks
This longtime Smyrna landmark was constructed by Robert Holliday in the late 18th century. The first known residents of the home are believed to have been the family of his daughter, Susannah Holliday Wilson. The origin of the name “The Barracks” is uncertain, but records confirm that it was known as such from an early […]
Green Pottery
In 1764, Thomas Green sold a one-quarter acre lot at this location to his grandson, Charles Green. Sometime thereafter, Charles established a facility for the manufacturing of redware pottery on this site. The business is known to have been in operation by the 1780s. Redware is made from clay with high amounts of iron oxide, […]
