New London Avenue School
The first documented public school for African-American youth in the Newark community was established in 1867 by the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. This was one of several schools established in Delaware during the post-Civil War “reconstruction” period through this federal government program, which was designed to assist African-Americans in former slave states. […]
Lincoln’s Speech
NCC-181: On June 10, 1848, Congressman Abraham Lincoln traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, for the purpose of addressing a meeting of members of the Whig political party. He was accompanied by Delaware Representative John W. Houston and two other members of Congress, who were returning to Washington from the Whig National Convention that had chosen Zachary […]
St. Anthony of Padua
NC-180: Originally Installed in 2008. By the late 1800s, the opportunities offered by Wilmington’s expanding economy made it a desirable destination for persons from Italy seeking freedom and prosperity. Settlement accelerated in the early 20th century, and in 1924, the Bishop of Wilmington appointed Father J. Francis Tucker, OSFS to establish a parish for the […]
Delaware City Old Public School
NC-178: Originally Installed in 2007. Delaware City was founded in 1826, in anticipation of the opening of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. The town was incorporated in 1851. The benefits of proximity to the canal resulted in a sustained period of prosperity and expansion of the community. By the 1880s, the need for new educational […]
Frank Furness Railroad District
NCC-175: The B&O Water Street Station (1888), the Pennsylvania Railroad Office Building (1905), and the Wilmington Train Station (1907), comprise a unique campus of railroad architecture by renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness (1839-1912). Frequently commissioned by the nation’s leading railroads, Furness left his creative mark at stations large and small throughout the Northeast, though few […]
Mount Pleasant School
NCC-170: On February 12, 1829, the Delaware Legislature passed the “Act for the establishment of free schools.” To meet the educational needs of the area’s youth, local residents formed a committee that purchased a parcel of land from Joseph Orr in 1830 for the purpose of “erecting a school house thereon, for the benefit of […]
St. John’s African Methodist Church
NC-167: Originally Installed in 2006. This congregation was organized circa 1848. Early meetings were held in a log cabin at this location on land that was conveyed to trustees of the “Protestant Methodist Church” in 1850. In 1866 the members of the First Colored Methodist Protestant denomination merged with the African Union Church, which had […]
Rockwood Mansion
NC-165: Originally Installed in 2006. Rockwood Mansion was completed in 1854 as the retirement home of Wilmington native Joseph Shipley. Shipley amassed his fortune as a merchant banker while living in Liverpool, England. Joseph Shipley hired Liverpool architect George Williams to design a Rural Gothic style home similar to Shipley’s country house in England. The […]
Mount Salem United Methodist Church
NC-163: Originally Installed in 2006. The origin of this congregation is traced to the early 19th century when the Brandywine Manufacturer’s Sunday School was established to serve the spiritual and educational needs of the families of workers in the industrial community on the Brandywine. This non-denominational work provided a meeting place for local Methodists. In […]
Hickman Row
NC-162: Originally Installed in 2006. The industrial expansion of Brandywine Hundred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was largely reflective of national trends in the growth and development of heavy industry. As large corporations moved to locations outside of major cities, some industrialists recognized the benefits of providing a living environment for […]
