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4 AREA HISTORY
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One of three counties in the small state of Delaware, Kent County is home to Delaware’s Capital City of Dover and a variety
of historical and cultural attractions!
Delaware Capital Building In Dover
Area H i s t o r y
Kent County
www.co.kent.de.us
Around 1670 the English began
to settle in the valley of the St. Jones River formally known as Wolf Creek. William Penn chartered Kent County as the Successor to
St. Jones in 1682. Penn ordered
a court town to be laid out, and
the courthouse was built in 1697. The town of Dover was finally established in 1717, and became the capitol of Delaware in 1777. In 1787 Delaware was first to ratify the U.S. Constitution and became “The First State.”
Camden
camden.delaware.gov
The history of this community
can be traced to the 1780s, when members of the Mifflin family began dividing their land into lots. Located at the intersection of two important thoroughfares, a number of homes and businesses were soon constructed here. The town became a commercial center, sending most of its products to market by way of the port of Lebanon, and later by rail with the coming of the railroad
9 in the 1850s. The town was the residence of Delaware governors George Truitt and David Buckson.
Clayton
www.clayton.delaware.gov
First known as Smyrna Station,
the Town of Clayton began when the railroad came to this area in the mid-1850s. In 1860, the name was changed to honor Delawarean John M. Clayton, a former United States Secretary of State and strong advocate of the railroad. The town was incorporated on April 15, 1887. Clayton became one of Delmarva’s largest rail centers, serving as the hub for four railroad lines including the Delaware Railroad, the Maryland and Delaware Railroad, the Spur Line to Smyrna, and the Smyrna and Delaware Bay Railroad.
Dover
www.cityofdover.com
The City of Dover is located in Central Delaware in Kent County and is the capital of Delaware. While its population is significantly smaller than that of Wilmington, Dover encompasses a larger area than any other city on the Delmarva Peninsula. The City of Dover
was founded in 1683 by William Penn. In 1717 it was officially laid out over an area of 125 acres by a commission of the Delaware
General Assembly. It grew nearly 1,000 acres in size by 1960. In the years immediately following World War II, the City of Dover acquired lands for the construction of an airport. This land was developed and activated during World War II as the Dover Air Force Base. Since that time it has developed into one of the largest military freight terminals in the world and is home to the 436th Airlift Wing.
Felton
www.felton.delaware.gov
The town of Felton was laid out in 1856 when the Delaware Railroad reached this area. Located between Berrytown to the west and Johnny Cake Landing (Frederica) to the east, the town became a “whistle stop” on the new railroad line. Owing its existence to the railroad, Felton was named in honor of Samuel M. Felton, President of
the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad. Incorporated in 1861, Felton’s boundaries formed a one-half mile square with the railroad line running north-south through the middle of town. Passenger rail service to Felton ended in the early 1950s.
AREA HISTORY