Sussex County Delaware Beach Area Towns and Villages are Unique and Historic!

This in an area of much history...I love Sussex CountyNative American attack. This attack notwithstanding,
Delaware. I am native born, multigenerational and proudthe Native Americans were generally friendly and
to be one of those who, as they say; "are fromwilling to trade with the newcomers. And, notably the
here".The earliest records of our family show wenative people, who seldom lived here but hunted and
were here well before the Mayflower arrived in 1620;fished here during the non mosquito seasons, got along
some our ancestors were here in the early 1500's orwell with the Plain People and not the settlers.The
before; when the only records here were all the familyDutch West India Company, organized in 1623, was
Bibles that each family kept.In this area, we weremore interested in trade on the South River, as the
populated by those escaping religious persecution inDelaware was called at that time, than in settlement
Europe. This heritage has much to do with the names(the North River was the Hudson, in the Dutch colony
and character of our area. Many local ancestors fledof New Netherland). Several Dutchmen, interested in
Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man, when Henry IVsettling the area, put their services at the disposal of
dethroned Richard II and the subsequent political andSweden and colonized the area for that country. The
religious purge sent religious zealots to places out ofbest known of these was Peter Minuit, who had been
the reach and care of England. I've learned that manygovernor of New Amsterdam (later New York). In
were foragers only and did not farm or hunt, only1637-38 Minuit directed the colonizing expedition for the
fished, from directions they read in the Bible.Some ofSwedes that organized New Sweden . Fort Christina
these folks evolved into local farmers, plain woodsmen,was founded in 1638 on the site of Wilmington and
wild plant pickers and eaters, herbalists, tanners, soapwas named in honor of the queen of Sweden. The
makers, hunters, and under all they were missionariescolony grew with the arrival of Swedish, Finnish, and
in the areas of what are now Lewes, Milton, Angola,Dutch settlers.The waters of the Delaware Bay are
Long Neck, Broadkill, Nassau, Cool Spring, Whitesville,tributary and watershed runoff from the Great Marsh
Quakertown and Red Mill Pond.These folksand all the little streams, creeks, rivers and wetlands of
worshipped only God, the Christ, and read only theeastern Delaware and New Jersey as well as the
most original scriptures or were as they say justeffluent of the Delaware River flowing down from
PLAIN... This was all deadly illegal under the British rule,Pennsylvania and New York. Thus the darker waters
except as licensed by the King. Others were burned,of the Delaware Bay are that way as a result the
hung, drawn, quartered, drowned slowly and otherwiseparticles and filtered organic matter from the Great
tortured to death publicly and imprisoned in terribleMarsh and wetland areas. These darker waters then
conditions meanwhile.I was raised at what is nowflow generally south along the Rehoboth, Dewey, area
Eagle Crest Aerodrome, on what was early known asbeaches until the clear waters of the Indian River and
the White Farms, near Milton. I started school at MiltonBay pushing out the Indian River Inlet force the darker
school then went to Lewes School and graduatedwaters away from the coast and out to sea. Thus the
1967 from Lewes School. Since then I've lived inocean water on the beaches south of Indian River Inlet
several areas of what we locals sometimes calltends to be far clearer than that north of the
"Saltwater Sussex" and what I used to call Theinlet.Lewes is known as the First Town in the First
Henlopen Quadrant; that is the locations within 25 milesState, because of this Dutch settlement, even though it
of Cape Henlopen.The Whites, Taylors, McIntires,didn't survive. Lewes was the first town settled in
Potters, Fishers, Maulls, Brittinghams, etc. were of myDelaware and Delaware was the first state to ratify
mother's family and were or descended from thethe Constitution of The United States - hence the title
earliest teachers and missionaries here that I know of.we proudly proclaim for Lewes -- First Town in the
Many of these early settlers established mills and millFirst State. Lewes was first settled by the Dutch and
ponds where (perhaps) America's first manufacturingSwedes. There are numerous books on the history of
industry, that of grinding oak bark and developing it intoLewes in the local book stores, perhaps as many as
tannin was done. This damming of the creeks to maketwo dozen different historical and entertaining books
mill power, caused our first swellings of little creeks andon this fair town. Each has a different version of
springs into what became larger mill ponds. Red Millhistory to some extent. shows over a hundred.Lewes
Pond was such an early example, as was Milton Pond,has become one of the most historically sensitive and
Millsboro Pond, and several smaller ones such asaware towns in the area. Some people still call Lewes
Beaver Dam Pond, and Saw Mill Pond, etc. As the millsby another older name Lewes Towne. Some of our
were abandoned and dams burst, many of thesevisitors have nicknamed it Williamsburg North with a bit
ponds receded and disappeared.These "plain people"of a wink and a smile to go with their love. We have a
as they were often known, to themselves, were justwonderful little downtown along Second Street,
plain and not bound to any king, or religion, except GodPilottown road, Market Street, Savannah Road and
and the Bible in it's original languages and in earlyKing's Highway. There are numerous specialty shops,
German. I recall some hand written Bibles, in ink andrestaurants and even the famous King's Ice Cream
pen, Bibles in our family home at what is now Eagleshop on 2nd St. to entice our numerous walkers.
Crest Road and Route One.Route 1 by the way wasLewes is, more than any other town in our region, a
the first road in what is now America and connectedgreat place to walk all over town as you discover the
all the original settlements, although it was first usefullittle nooks, shops, businesses and trades that are
only on foot, later by mule and horse. Much later byusually in historically attractive buildings. In is not unusual
wagon. There were many fords and later bridges asto see hundreds of people walking the streets in
road one, traversing this land from south to north,Lewes, even in the off season. In the summer season,
crossed the many creeks, streams and rivers that fedspring and fall, it is customary to see thousands of
from the land to the Delaware Bay.Cape Henlopen ispeople and families slowly walking and looking at our
the anchor point of Salt Water Sussex County, whereold homes, businesses, museums and scenic
the Delaware Bay meets and flows into the Atlanticviews.The Lewes Harbor is a wonderfully scenic deep
Ocean at Lewes. When you stand at Cape Henlopenwater port, the only one in eastern Sussex County.
Point, you can see the razor line of color changeThere are sailboats and larger boats moored along the
where the dark waters of the Bay meet the blueLewes and Rehoboth Canal from the Roosevelt Inlet
waters of the ocean in a diagonal line extending fromat the north end of Lewes down to the Canal Bridge
the beach out into the sea. This darkness of thewhere Kings Highway and Savannah Road combine
waters is caused by the nutrient rich, therefore muddy,to cross the drawbridge and connect historic Lewes
waters that seep out of the great marsh whichto Lewes Beach.Lewes Harbor as taken from The
borders almost all of Delaware.This Great Marsh is,Lighthouse Restaurant.Lewes Beach is more recently
even today, one of the most ecologically rich anddeveloped than the town of Lewes. The homes of
diverse lands in the world; were thousands of nativeLewes Beach have seldom been there longer than 50
plants and numerous animals live. Here they have noyears and many of the older, smaller fixer-upper
native predators to speak of. A most wonderful bookhomes are being removed and larger modern homes
about this Marsh is Progger: A Life on the Marsh, bybuilt on the lots there. The lands of Lewes Beach, all of
Tony Florio. Only in the last few years have predatorsthe lots, are owned by the town of Lewes. Residents,
plied these lands, feral dogs and cats loosed from theproperty owners and businesses get a 99 year lease
tourists, visitors and new townspeople into our greatwhich is renewable. This lease was originally supposed
marsh, no longer household pets, these thousands ofto be only for the growing of rabbits but, without
wild cats and dogs, bring a deadly new addition to thechanging the terms or law, is now used to support
lands.We have, here in Saltwater Sussex, amany lovely beach homes. The modest lease fee is
conspicuous absence of poisonous snakes. The earlypaid to the town of Lewes annually. The lots in Lewes
Plain People were unique in that they learned to livedo "sell", actually the leases are transferred to the new
here year 'round, (although the American Indians didland tenants at the same price as land would be
not) especially in and along this fertile great marsh.deeded.Cape Henlopen State Park includes most of
These Plain People gave this land and any others whothe bay front and ocean front land and beaches
came here their full admiration, acceptance andaround Lewes. There are some communities; Pilot
friendliness. They loved and were loved by the nativesPoint, Cape Shores, Port Lewes, and the Delaware
who browsed, hunted and fished here. This characterRiver and Bay Pilots Association along the Bay. The
caused them to be known as kind, strong, courageousCape Henlopen State Park was once Fort Miles the
and resourceful -- and thus they gained the trust andArmy base. Fort Miles was set up between World
admiration of these natives.Because of the relativelyWar I and World War II to protect the Delaware Bay
large number of missionary settlers here, and theshipping traffic from the German submarines. Now the
prosperity they created by ingeniously trading goodsthousands of acres of beach, dunes, wetlands and
they made and services to the native peoples - alongwoods that stretch between Lewes and Rehoboth
with the good will that was enjoyed among all... thereare all part of the park and the military buildings have
was much peace between the native hunters andother beachy uses.William Penn was a much loved
fishers with these Plain folks.This region was found toEuropean and politically active adherant of plain folks
be of great importance to the Dutch and English. Thethat remained under the yoke of England, while hiding
plain folks tended to stay well away from each othertheir distaste for the religions of the Kings and meeting
as a show of privacy and independence. They did notsecretly. Penn was convicted of various political crimes
ordinarily join the dangerous, politically combative andand exiled over here were it was supposed other like
disease ridden towns for generations after theseminded plain folks already resided in horrid and deadly
towns were established here - as the area colonized.and uncivilized residency with the Indians. This land of
In fact there were many of the Colonial towns thatPenn's exile, named Penn's woods or Pennsylvania
died out or were burned out by the natives - becausewas in deference to his social and political popularity. In
of the unhealthy conditions and attitudes that prevailed.1682 a duke transferred the Lewes claim to Penn,
The Plain Folk recorded the facts. Thus we havewho wanted to secure a navigable water route from
numerous histories of places where everyone washis new colony of Pennsylvania to the ocean. The
killed or died and these histories were written by thethree counties of Delaware thus became the Three
local Plain Folk.Lewes: This region was hotly contestedLower Counties (or Territories, as Penn called them) of
by the Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch andPennsylvania. The individual counties were called New
English. The first officially recorded settlement here atCastle, Kent (formerly St. Jones), and Sussex
the beach, was established by Dutch patroons, or(formerly Hoornkill, also known as Whorekill, and Deale).
proprietors, in partnership with the Dutch navigatorThe English proprietors of Maryland contested Penn's
David Pietersen de Vries; it was called Swanendaelclaim to Delaware, and the boundary dispute was not
and was established (1631) on the site of the town offully settled until 1750.
Lewes. However, within a year it was destroyed by a