Site of African Union Church and Cemetery
The African Union Church (AUC) of Christiana Bridge built a wood-framed church on this site in 1819. The AUC was the first incorporated religious group in the country controlled entirely by African Americans. The congregation replaced the structure with a brick church in 1850. The church relocated in 1897. Members disassembled the church and transported […]
New London Road Community
The African American New London Road community can be traced back to 1786 when free black families began settling in the area. The community clustered around New London Road and was bounded by Cleveland Avenue to the south and Corbit and Ray Streets to the north. At a time when African Americans were not welcomed […]
Indian Mission School
The Nanticoke Indian Tribe established Indian Mission School on this site in the 1920s. Tribal members built and operated a one-room school to educate Nanticoke students in grades 1-8. In 1948, the original wood-framed structure burned in a fire and was replaced with a stuccoed masonry building. Students continued attending the school through the 1961-1962 […]
Shipwreck of “The Faithful Steward”
The Faithful Steward, bound from Londonderry, Ireland to Philadelphia, ran aground on a shoal September 1, 1785 with 249 passengers aboard. Stormy weather drove the vessel toward shore where it became stranded in 4 fathoms (24 feet) of water within 100 yards of the shoreline. Strong winds capsized the ship and 181 passengers, including 93 […]
Jason Beach
Named after William C. Jason, the second President of State College for Colored Students (now Delaware State University), Jason Beach was a recreational destination for people of color from the 1930s through the early 1970s. Along with use as a swimming area, this location situated in Trap Pond State Park was also used for a […]
Henry Clay Village
Henry Clay Village formed near the textile mills north of Wilmington in the early 1800s. As domestic textile production declined following the War of 1812, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company absorbed failing mills into its powder-making operations. Workers from Ireland, France, Italy, and elsewhere joined Delawareans in seeking opportunities in the powder yards […]
Phillis Wheatley School
The inadequate condition of schools throughout the nation resulted in a major effort to reform public education following World War I. Delaware was at the forefront of this movement. With the assistance of the Delaware Auxiliary Association and its primary supporter, P.S. duPont, a program to replace outdated schools was undertaken. Noting the poor nature […]
Milford
KC-29: Town laid out by Joseph Oliver 1787. Village was located on tract then “Saw-Mill Range.” Named Milford from fording place near mill-dam erected by Rev. Sydenham Thorne across Mispillion Creek, 1787. First incorporated 1807. Old town in Kent County, new town in Sussex County. Home of Governors Tharp, Causey, Burton, and Watson. Replaced in […]
Memorial Day Parade and Soldiers and Sailors Monument
NCC-250: On May 30, 1868, Wilmington residents placed flowers at the graves of Civil War soldiers in response to Gen. John A. Logan’s General Order 11, which called for a national day of remembrance. Honoring the sacrifices of those who died in the Civil War and later wars, May 30 became an annual tradition that […]
Kent County Theatre Guild
The Kent County Theatre Guild (KCTG) formed in 1953 to provide community theater in central Delaware. The volunteer organization incorporated in 1961 and initially performed theatrical productions at local high schools and Dover’s Hinkle Building. In 1972, St. John’s Lutheran Church donated their former wood frame sanctuary to KCTG. The building was moved from Lotus […]
