| This in an area of much history...I love Sussex County | | | | by a Native American attack. This attack |
| Delaware. I am native born, multigenerational and | | | | notwithstanding, the Native Americans were generally |
| proud to be one of those who, as they say; "are | | | | friendly and willing to trade with the newcomers. And, |
| from here".The earliest records of our family show | | | | notably the native people, who seldom lived here but |
| we were here well before the Mayflower arrived in | | | | hunted and fished here during the non mosquito |
| 1620; some our ancestors were here in the early | | | | seasons, got along well with the Plain People and not |
| 1500's or before; when the only records here were all | | | | the settlers.The Dutch West India Company, |
| the family Bibles that each family kept.In this area, | | | | organized in 1623, was more interested in trade on |
| we were populated by those escaping religious | | | | the South River, as the Delaware was called at that |
| persecution in Europe. This heritage has much to do | | | | time, than in settlement (the North River was the |
| with the names and character of our area. Many local | | | | Hudson, in the Dutch colony of New Netherland). |
| ancestors fled Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, | | | | Several Dutchmen, interested in settling the area, put |
| when Henry IV dethroned Richard II and the | | | | their services at the disposal of Sweden and |
| subsequent political and religious purge sent religious | | | | colonized the area for that country. The best known |
| zealots to places out of the reach and care of | | | | of these was Peter Minuit, who had been governor |
| England. I've learned that many were foragers only | | | | of New Amsterdam (later New York). In 1637-38 |
| and did not farm or hunt, only fished, from directions | | | | Minuit directed the colonizing expedition for the |
| they read in the Bible.Some of these folks evolved | | | | Swedes that organized New Sweden . Fort Christina |
| into local farmers, plain woodsmen, wild plant pickers | | | | was founded in 1638 on the site of Wilmington and |
| and eaters, herbalists, tanners, soap makers, hunters, | | | | was named in honor of the queen of Sweden. The |
| and under all they were missionaries in the areas of | | | | colony grew with the arrival of Swedish, Finnish, and |
| what are now Lewes, Milton, Angola, Long Neck, | | | | Dutch settlers.The waters of the Delaware Bay are |
| Broadkill, Nassau, Cool Spring, Whitesville, Quakertown | | | | tributary and watershed runoff from the Great Marsh |
| and Red Mill Pond.These folks worshipped only God, | | | | and all the little streams, creeks, rivers and wetlands |
| the Christ, and read only the most original scriptures | | | | of eastern Delaware and New Jersey as well as the |
| or were as they say just PLAIN... This was all deadly | | | | effluent of the Delaware River flowing down from |
| illegal under the British rule, except as licensed by the | | | | Pennsylvania and New York. Thus the darker waters |
| King. Others were burned, hung, drawn, quartered, | | | | of the Delaware Bay are that way as a result the |
| drowned slowly and otherwise tortured to death | | | | particles and filtered organic matter from the Great |
| publicly and imprisoned in terrible conditions | | | | Marsh and wetland areas. These darker waters then |
| meanwhile.I was raised at what is now Eagle Crest | | | | flow generally south along the Rehoboth, Dewey, |
| Aerodrome, on what was early known as the White | | | | area beaches until the clear waters of the Indian |
| Farms, near Milton. I started school at Milton school | | | | River and Bay pushing out the Indian River Inlet force |
| then went to Lewes School and graduated 1967 | | | | the darker waters away from the coast and out to |
| from Lewes School. Since then I've lived in several | | | | sea. Thus the ocean water on the beaches south of |
| areas of what we locals sometimes call "Saltwater | | | | Indian River Inlet tends to be far clearer than that |
| Sussex" and what I used to call The Henlopen | | | | north of the inlet.Lewes is known as the First Town |
| Quadrant; that is the locations within 25 miles of | | | | in the First State, because of this Dutch settlement, |
| Cape Henlopen.The Whites, Taylors, McIntires, | | | | even though it didn't survive. Lewes was the first |
| Potters, Fishers, Maulls, Brittinghams, etc. were of my | | | | town settled in Delaware and Delaware was the first |
| mother's family and were or descended from the | | | | state to ratify the Constitution of The United States |
| earliest teachers and missionaries here that I know | | | | - hence the title we proudly proclaim for Lewes -- |
| of. Many of these early settlers established mills and | | | | First Town in the First State. Lewes was first settled |
| mill ponds where (perhaps) America's first | | | | by the Dutch and Swedes. There are numerous |
| manufacturing industry, that of grinding oak bark and | | | | books on the history of Lewes in the local book |
| developing it into tannin was done. This damming of | | | | stores, perhaps as many as two dozen different |
| the creeks to make mill power, caused our first | | | | historical and entertaining books on this fair town. |
| swellings of little creeks and springs into what | | | | Each has a different version of history to some |
| became larger mill ponds. Red Mill Pond was such an | | | | extent. shows over a hundred.Lewes has become |
| early example, as was Milton Pond, Millsboro Pond, | | | | one of the most historically sensitive and aware |
| and several smaller ones such as Beaver Dam Pond, | | | | towns in the area. Some people still call Lewes by |
| and Saw Mill Pond, etc. As the mills were abandoned | | | | another older name Lewes Towne. Some of our |
| and dams burst, many of these ponds receded and | | | | visitors have nicknamed it Williamsburg North with a |
| disappeared.These "plain people" as they were often | | | | bit of a wink and a smile to go with their love. We |
| known, to themselves, were just plain and not bound | | | | have a wonderful little downtown along Second |
| to any king, or religion, except God and the Bible in | | | | Street, Pilottown road, Market Street, Savannah |
| it's original languages and in early German. I recall | | | | Road and King's Highway. There are numerous |
| some hand written Bibles, in ink and pen, Bibles in our | | | | specialty shops, restaurants and even the famous |
| family home at what is now Eagle Crest Road and | | | | King's Ice Cream shop on 2nd St. to entice our |
| Route One.Route 1 by the way was the first road in | | | | numerous walkers. Lewes is, more than any other |
| what is now America and connected all the original | | | | town in our region, a great place to walk all over |
| settlements, although it was first useful only on foot, | | | | town as you discover the little nooks, shops, |
| later by mule and horse. Much later by wagon. There | | | | businesses and trades that are usually in historically |
| were many fords and later bridges as road one, | | | | attractive buildings. In is not unusual to see hundreds |
| traversing this land from south to north, crossed the | | | | of people walking the streets in Lewes, even in the |
| many creeks, streams and rivers that fed from the | | | | off season. In the summer season, spring and fall, it |
| land to the Delaware Bay.Cape Henlopen is the | | | | is customary to see thousands of people and families |
| anchor point of Salt Water Sussex County, where | | | | slowly walking and looking at our old homes, |
| the Delaware Bay meets and flows into the Atlantic | | | | businesses, museums and scenic views.The Lewes |
| Ocean at Lewes. When you stand at Cape Henlopen | | | | Harbor is a wonderfully scenic deep water port, the |
| Point, you can see the razor line of color change | | | | only one in eastern Sussex County. There are |
| where the dark waters of the Bay meet the blue | | | | sailboats and larger boats moored along the Lewes |
| waters of the ocean in a diagonal line extending from | | | | and Rehoboth Canal from the Roosevelt Inlet at the |
| the beach out into the sea. This darkness of the | | | | north end of Lewes down to the Canal Bridge where |
| waters is caused by the nutrient rich, therefore | | | | Kings Highway and Savannah Road combine to cross |
| muddy, waters that seep out of the great marsh | | | | the drawbridge and connect historic Lewes to Lewes |
| which borders almost all of Delaware.This Great | | | | Beach.Lewes Harbor as taken from The Lighthouse |
| Marsh is, even today, one of the most ecologically | | | | Restaurant.Lewes Beach is more recently developed |
| rich and diverse lands in the world; were thousands | | | | than the town of Lewes. The homes of Lewes |
| of native plants and numerous animals live. Here they | | | | Beach have seldom been there longer than 50 years |
| have no native predators to speak of. A most | | | | and many of the older, smaller fixer-upper homes are |
| wonderful book about this Marsh is Progger: A Life | | | | being removed and larger modern homes built on the |
| on the Marsh, by Tony Florio. Only in the last few | | | | lots there. The lands of Lewes Beach, all of the lots, |
| years have predators plied these lands, feral dogs | | | | are owned by the town of Lewes. Residents, |
| and cats loosed from the tourists, visitors and new | | | | property owners and businesses get a 99 year lease |
| townspeople into our great marsh, no longer | | | | which is renewable. This lease was originally supposed |
| household pets, these thousands of wild cats and | | | | to be only for the growing of rabbits but, without |
| dogs, bring a deadly new addition to the lands.We | | | | changing the terms or law, is now used to support |
| have, here in Saltwater Sussex, a conspicuous | | | | many lovely beach homes. The modest lease fee is |
| absence of poisonous snakes. The early Plain People | | | | paid to the town of Lewes annually. The lots in |
| were unique in that they learned to live here year | | | | Lewes do "sell", actually the leases are transferred to |
| 'round, (although the American Indians did not) | | | | the new land tenants at the same price as land |
| especially in and along this fertile great marsh. These | | | | would be deeded.Cape Henlopen State Park includes |
| Plain People gave this land and any others who came | | | | most of the bay front and ocean front land and |
| here their full admiration, acceptance and friendliness. | | | | beaches around Lewes. There are some |
| They loved and were loved by the natives who | | | | communities; Pilot Point, Cape Shores, Port Lewes, |
| browsed, hunted and fished here. This character | | | | and the Delaware River and Bay Pilots Association |
| caused them to be known as kind, strong, | | | | along the Bay. The Cape Henlopen State Park was |
| courageous and resourceful -- and thus they gained | | | | once Fort Miles the Army base. Fort Miles was set up |
| the trust and admiration of these natives.Because of | | | | between World War I and World War II to protect |
| the relatively large number of missionary settlers | | | | the Delaware Bay shipping traffic from the German |
| here, and the prosperity they created by ingeniously | | | | submarines. Now the thousands of acres of beach, |
| trading goods they made and services to the native | | | | dunes, wetlands and woods that stretch between |
| peoples - along with the good will that was enjoyed | | | | Lewes and Rehoboth are all part of the park and the |
| among all... there was much peace between the | | | | military buildings have other beachy uses.William Penn |
| native hunters and fishers with these Plain folks.This | | | | was a much loved European and politically active |
| region was found to be of great importance to the | | | | adherant of plain folks that remained under the yoke |
| Dutch and English. The plain folks tended to stay well | | | | of England, while hiding their distaste for the religions |
| away from each other as a show of privacy and | | | | of the Kings and meeting secretly. Penn was |
| independence. They did not ordinarily join the | | | | convicted of various political crimes and exiled over |
| dangerous, politically combative and disease ridden | | | | here were it was supposed other like minded plain |
| towns for generations after these towns were | | | | folks already resided in horrid and deadly and |
| established here - as the area colonized. In fact there | | | | uncivilized residency with the Indians. This land of |
| were many of the Colonial towns that died out or | | | | Penn's exile, named Penn's woods or Pennsylvania |
| were burned out by the natives - because of the | | | | was in deference to his social and political popularity. |
| unhealthy conditions and attitudes that prevailed. The | | | | In 1682 a duke transferred the Lewes claim to Penn, |
| Plain Folk recorded the facts. Thus we have | | | | who wanted to secure a navigable water route from |
| numerous histories of places where everyone was | | | | his new colony of Pennsylvania to the ocean. The |
| killed or died and these histories were written by the | | | | three counties of Delaware thus became the Three |
| local Plain Folk.Lewes: This region was hotly contested | | | | Lower Counties (or Territories, as Penn called them) |
| by the Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and | | | | of Pennsylvania. The individual counties were called |
| English. The first officially recorded settlement here at | | | | New Castle, Kent (formerly St. Jones), and Sussex |
| the beach, was established by Dutch patroons, or | | | | (formerly Hoornkill, also known as Whorekill, and |
| proprietors, in partnership with the Dutch navigator | | | | Deale). The English proprietors of Maryland contested |
| David Pietersen de Vries; it was called Swanendael | | | | Penn's claim to Delaware, and the boundary dispute |
| and was established (1631) on the site of the town | | | | was not fully settled until 1750. |
| of Lewes. However, within a year it was destroyed | | | | |