Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is one of the unexpected pleasures on the Eastern Shore of Delaware. The first blank" >Dutch target="_blank" >glossary/settlement/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="c834d4c9bec5fd9999347cd6811245e7" target="_blank" >settlement on Delaware soil was located here.
Founded in 1631, Zwaanedael (or Swaanendael meaning “Valley of the Swans”) was named by settlers Hoorn Kil in honor of the Town of Hoorn in Holland. The Dutch West India Company sent 28 men to establish a whaling station, grow tobacco, and engage in fur trade with Native Americans.
The colony was destroyed by Native Americans in the year it was founded. DeVries, a director of the company which set out to establish the colony came one year later with aid, though he ultimately returned to Holland in 1633.
Under orders from Peter Stuyvesant the Dutch erected Fort at Hoorn Kil (Lewes Creek) in 1659 but were soon dispossessed by the Marylanders. Here was also a communistic settlement established by Mennonites from Holland under Peter Cornelius Plockhoy. The British took possession of the area when Sir Robert Carr in 1664 “destroyed the quaking colony of Plockhoy to a Naile.”
Lewes remained under British colonial rule until Independence. William Penn named the town Lewes in 1682. Lewes suffered bombardment during the War of 1812.
The First Presbyterian Church in Lewes is an imposing structure built in 1832. An open steeple was built in 1886 with a thousand pound bell. A new organ was installed in the choir-loft/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="699f06824f2f5aa689c21b589de12254" target="_blank" >choir loft in 1900.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large">The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the first European settlement in Delaware. The building is a careful adaptation of the town house/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="4d8d702b37a7ba2341c578ad4aae854c" target="_blank" >hall in Hoorn, Holland which was constructed in 1613. Exhibits in the museum illustrate the rich history of Sussex County and its maritime connections.
The Zwaanendael Club was constructed in 1898 by the Sussex Trust Title and Safe Deposit Company. It continued to operate from this location until 1911. Subsequently it was sold and used as a store. On December 14, 1929, it was donated to the Zwaanendael Women’s Club by Virginia L. Mustard, a Charter Member of the organization. The club was founded in 1905 by public-spirited women for the purpose of promoting community improvement through volunteer service. Their first meeting at this location was on October 7, 1930. They set up a lending library and shared the space with other community organizations.
The David Hall House was home of Colonel David Hall, patriot of the American Revolution and Governor of Delaware. He enlisted into the Continental Army in 1776 and was commissioned as a Captain in the Delaware Regiment. He served with distinction at Long Island and White Plains before his promotion to Colonel and commanding officer of the Regiment in April 1777. He was wounded at the Battle of Germantown. After the ware he was a member of the state lregislature and an unsuccessful candidate for Governor in 1798. In 1801 he became the first member of the emerging Democratic Party to be elected Governor of Delware. The front part of the home in which he lived is believed to have been constructed by his grandfather, Nathaniel Hall, circa 1730.
The Fisher-Martin House is a hipped-roof/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="9a8e5143a1e5817f8fbf5dc5fee32ece" target="_blank" >gambrel roof house built in ca. 1730. It’s an example of Sussex County architecture. The house was moved to the present site in 1980 to help celebrate Lewes’ 350th anniversary in 1981. The chamber-of-commerce/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="b43c464fc699bb45f9f100208b253a79" target="_blank" >Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau operate from this location today.
A welcome sign has information about Lewes and a display case with info about current programming and events.
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Lewes is one of several hundred communities in the US named a Preserve America Community.
Commercially there are few businesses and they all seek to blend in to the historic-character/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="f165f2dd6424ed63afa647e6b9340c0b" target="_blank" >historic character of the town with standing/" class="glossaryLink" data-cmtooltip="b9890177b1779ade11357e743529c06a" target="_blank" >freestanding buildings that appear like older houses.
More substantial retail is outside of town at the Tanger Outlets.
Also just a few minutes away is Rehoboth Beach. The brewery, salt water taffy, and restaurants here make Rehoboth a destination, particularly for family friendly fun at the ocean.
