Soroptimist International of Seaford
SC-282: Soroptimist International of Seaford (SIS) formed on May 24, 1950, with a mission of improving the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. “Soroptimist” means “best for women” in Latin. Members opened the Curiosity Shop in downtown Seaford on March 25, 1961, to support the SIS mission. The store […]
Surf Safety Line
SC-285: When at the beach, women of the early 20th century wore woolen bathing attire that covered most of their bodies. When wet, the suits were heavy, and it became difficult to leave the surf and get back onto the beach without help. The women of the Village Improvement Association (VIA) solved this by funding […]
Nanticoke Post #6
SC-114: In 1926 a group of local World War I veterans held a meeting in Burton’s Hardware Store for the purpose of organizing an American Legion Post in Seaford. The initial effort was unsuccessful, but later that year plans were revived and Nanticoke Post No. 6 received its charter. In 1934 members constructed the present […]
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 […]
South Wilmington – Cradle of African American Political Leadership
NC-86: William J. Winchester, after serving 16 years on Wilmington City Council, became the first of his race elected to the Delaware House of Representatives. He served from 1948 until his death in 1952. Herman M. Holloway, Sr., became the first African-American elected to the State Senate in 1964. Henrietta Johnson was the first African-American […]
Return Day
SC-85: This event draws thousands as winning and losing candidates join in celebration on the Thursday following each general election. Poor traveling conditions and interest in the outcome of political contests may have resulted in an extended stay when all elections were held here. Creation of voting districts in 1811 required the meeting of a […]
Dover Light Infantry Kent County, Delaware Militia, 1776-1777
KC-A9: The Light Infantry Company of Dover, a part of the 1st Battalion of Kent County, mustered in on 2 April 1776. Each militia volunteer was uniformly armed, equipped, and wore a standard military coat of green faced with red lapels, cuffs, and collar. From 14 December 1776 to 14 January 1777, Captain Thomas Rodney, […]
Union Lodge No. 5, A.F. & A. M.
NC-214: Chartered on June 24, 1765 by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania A.Y.M., Lodge No. 5 at Cantwell’s Bridge (later known as Odessa) became the first Masonic lodge established in Delaware. The lodge was admitted to membership under the Grand Lodge of Delaware in January, 1816. Lodge No. 5 moved to Middletown in 1822 and […]
Delaware’s Jewish Community
NC-141: This building, once known as the Morrow Building, symbolizes the founding of an organized Jewish community in Delaware. Jews have been present in Delaware since the 1650s. Until the late 19th Century, the Jewish community was too small to maintain a house of worship. During the 1870s, Jews began to gather on the third […]
