Landing of The Swedes
NC-197: In late 1637, the new Sweden Company sent out its first expedition to America to establish a Swedish presence in the New World. Sailing in two ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip, the expedition landed near this site in March 1638. Under Peter Minuit’s leadership, Fort Christina was erected to protect the […]
First Flight of the Delaplane
NC-190: Near this site, on October 21, 1910, the first heavier than air aircraft built in Delaware made its first flight. The aircraft, known as the Delaplane, was built by Robie Seidelinger and piloted by Eddie Bloomfield. The construction was funded by the Wilmington Aero Club at an estimated cost of nearly $6,000. Construction took […]
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 […]
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 […]
Salesianum School
NC-148: Salesianum School, a Catholic high school for young men, stood at 8th and West Streets from its founding in 1903 until its move to this location in 1957. The original “House of Sales” was pioneered by Rev. Charles Fromentin, Rev. James Isenring and Rev. Louis Jacquier, priests in the order of the Oblates of […]
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 […]
Mount Olive Cemetery
NCC-87: In 1862 the members of Mother AUMP Church, also known as the Union Church of African Members, purchased property at the corner of Lancaster Avenue and Union Street in Wilmington for the purpose of establishing a cemetery. In 1914, the Church sold the property, then known as St. Peter’s Cemetery, for the construction of […]
Camp Brandywine
NCC-78: In the Civil War the first camp of this name was at Wilmington Fair Grounds for the First and Second Delaware Regiments. The same name was given this site in September, 1862 for a camp of Pennsylvania troops sent to guard the powder mills. They were relieved by the Fourth Delaware Regiment the next […]
Hale-Byrnes House (aka: Meeting Place of Washington’s Officers)
George Washington’s “General Staff Headquarters” on September 6, 1777. Here Generals Washington, Lafayette, Wayne, Maxwell, Sullivan, and Greene planned defense of Wilmington. House built circa 1750 by Samuel Hale. Owner 1776 – Daniel Byrnes – a miller and preacher. Restored by Delaware Society for Preservation of Antiquities. Donated to State in 1971. NCC-50: Installed in […]
