Prince Georges Chapel
SC-118: Before the settlement of the boundary dispute between Delaware and Maryland, this area was considered to lie in Maryland. On July 5, 1755, responding to the request of members of the Church of England residing in the upper portion of Worcester Parish, the Maryland Assembly enacted legislation authorizing the purchase of land and construction […]
Old Sound Methodist Church
SC-92: In April, 1779, one of the state’s first Methodist societies was organized near this site by Reverend Freeborn Garrettson. On April 29, 1784, one acre of ground was purchased here for the erection of a “preaching house.” The church became known as Williams Chapel, in honor of brothers Arthur and Ezekiel Williams, founding members […]
Dagsboro
Settled at the site of a grist mill on Pepper Creek, this village was originally known as Blackfoot Town. The present name of the community is derived from that of John Dagworthy. A New Jersey native who moved to this area in the mid-18th century, he was awarded a considerable portion of the Great Cypress […]
Seaford
SC-5: Town laid out, 1799. Then called “Hooper’s Landing.” First incorporated 1865. Seaford Academy located here from 1819 until some time before Civil War. Rev. Leonidas Polk, later Episcopal Bishop and Major General in Confederate Army was student at Academy. Home of William H. Ross, thirty-seventh Governor of Delaware. Installed in 1932. Reinstalled in 1966. […]
Vinyard Shipbuilding
SC-255: Founded in 1896 by Wilson M. Vinyard, the Vinyard Shipbuilding Company was the first Milford shipyard to build motorized vessels. The shipyard built numerous ships for the government including Navy subchasers and Coast Guard patrol boats. In 1927, the company began manufacturing world class yachts. Construction of new vessels ceased in 1951 and the […]
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 […]
Richard Allen School
SC-249: In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, Delaware did not have a comprehensive state-wide education system. By 1915, Delaware schools were ranked among the poorest in the country. Worse yet, African American students often attended dilapidated schools under deplorable conditions. Seeing an opportunity to help all students in Delaware, Pierre S. du Pont […]
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 […]
Woodland United Methodist Church
SC-236: On December 10, 1832, land was deeded to several trustees by Isaac and Jacob Cannon with the understanding that “…a House of Worship, in or at the Village of Cannons Ferry… by the name of Canton Church” was to be built. The deed for the land was recorded on April 17, 1833. A small […]
McColley’s Chapel
SC-231: McColley’s Chapel was built and dedicated in 1858 as a Methodist Church. Congregation members had previously worshipped in a small house on the opposite side of the road. James Redden, a member of the board of trustees, sold the property to the church in 1857 for one dollar. The original church building was constructed […]
