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