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