Headed West…Just a Little Bit

…continuing with our family trip this past September with Laurie’s sister, Bonnie and her husband Bill, as we explored parts of the Delmarva Peninsula.

From Rehoboth Beach we headed north and west up DE Hwy 1 and then south and west on US Hwy 9/DE Hwy 404. 

Our first stop on this day was in Georgetown Delaware, the county seat for Sussex County.  The Sussex County Courthouse on the Circle was built between 1837 and 1840.  It originally featured a squat entrance tower with an undersized cupola over the tower.  In 1914 the tower was enlarged and the columns were added to the front.  Other renovations in 1970 gave the structure a more Georgian appearance.

There are only 3 counties in Delaware and Sussex is the largest.  At 1,196 square miles, it occupies 48% of the state with only 23% of the state’s population.  Sussex County was originally organized in 1683 under English colonial rule.

The first railway depot in Georgetown was built in the late 1860s when rail service reached the town.  This depot replaced the original structure in 1892.  Originally it may have been a single story building with a steep pitch to the roof.  Historical documentation shows the appearance of the second story, complete with gables and dormers, appeared ca 1912.  It was probably used as a residence for the station master and other railway employees.

Georgetown’s first rail service was provided by the Junction and Breakwater Railroad…a subsidiary of the Old Dominion Steamship Company.  The Junction and Breakwater Railroad was only 43.8 miles long and it connected with the Delaware Railroad at Harrington Delaware.  These rail lines were later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

This 'firehouse' is located near the old Georgetown railway depot.  The history of Georgetown’s volunteer firefighters dates back to 1831 when the “Georgetown Fire Association” was founded and the first firefighting apparatus was purchased.  The old jail was used to store the equipment until 1904 when this structure was built to serve as the firehouse.  It is dedicated to Georgetown’s past, current and future firefighters.

Both the old depot and the firehouse or station have been preserved and are owned by the Historic Georgetown Association.  To learn more, just go to https://www.georgetowntrainstation.org/.

This transitional Federal/Greek Revival style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as ‘The Brick Hotel”.  This 2.5 story structure was built in 1836 and it was in constant use as a hotel for 110 years.  It was converted from its original use in 1955 when it was remodeled as a bank building.  In 2008 it was once again converted, this time back to a hotel.  However, in August of 2021, the “Brick Hotel” once again closed…and the space is being leased for offices.

Georgetown was not the first county seat in Sussex County.  However, citizens living in the western part of the county had a difficult time traveling to Lewes Delaware for court related business.  After petitioning the state, a new centralized site for the county seat was selected in 1791.  Georgetown was laid out in a circle about one mile in diameter in the original survey.  The town did prove better as an administrative center…and it is said that Georgetown is “16 miles from everywhere in Sussex County”.

The town has been growing rapidly since 1980 when its population totaled 1,710 residents.  As of 2020, the town was home to 7,134 people.  The area is a center for the chicken/poultry industry.  That has led to a major influx of immigrants.  Over 20% of Georgetown’s population are of Guatemalan descent.

We continued down US Hwy 9 toward Laurel Delaware.  We put on the brakes when we spotted this Antique shop along the way.  The Delaware Avenue Antique Emporium was a great find…with lots of variety and fun things to look at…and buy.  The woman who owns it was very pleasant and helpful.  No pressure or hovering.  We thoroughly enjoyed this unexpected stop along our route. 

To learn more and to see a number of photos that are superior to the ones I took, go to Delaware Avenue Antique Emporium | Laurel DE | Facebook.

Our next stop was in Laurel Delaware.  We were going to do a little shopping but the group prevailed and they wanted to keep moving so we’d have plenty of time to explore the area where we were going to be based for the next 3 nights.

Nevertheless, I did manage to stop and take photos of the old Laurel train station.   It was built in 1910 and it has been extensively restored by the Town of Laurel, now housing the Laurel Heritage Museum.  To learn more about the museum and the Historical Society, just go to Laurel De Historical Society.  I love the idea that those building plaques have been saved by the historical society

Laurel’s rail service was originally provided by the Delaware Railroad.  This railroad covered the state from north to south with connections to towns on Maryland’s east shore on the Chesapeake Bay.  It was leased and under the financial control of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad.  At its peak, the Delaware Railroad had only 95.2 miles of trackage.

We drove north from Laurel Delaware via DE Hwy 13, then turned west on DE Hwy 20 to the Maryland state line.  From there we headed northwest for a few miles to Federalsburg Maryland.  Distances are minimal on the Delmarva Peninsula with this drive encompassing only about 18 – 20 miles.

Yes I did have one more railroad depot on my list for the day… The Maryland and Delaware railroad depot, (later the Pennsylvania Railroad), has been preserved and it houses the offices of the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company, a Class III short-line railroad that was formed in 1977.  This railroad operates 92 miles of track and supports a large number of industries in the area.

I could not determine when this attractive little depot was built but I did find an old photo/postcard picturing it that was dated in 1915.  As for the RS3M Locomotive, #1203 was originally built by The American Locomotive Company in 1952 as an RS-3 road switcher.  It was rebuilt by Conrail with a new and more reliable engine in the mid-1970s.  The Maryland and Delaware Railroad owns 3 locomotives of this type...still operating after 50 plus years!

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave