My pursuits this time take me to the 1st state of Delaware. For those that know me I am on a mission to race all the states and Delaware just happens to be the last state on the Eastern seaboard I haven’t done yet so here we go!!
This all takes place in Wilmington, With only a population of 70k it is in fact the largest city in the entire state!!
One thing I wanted to get out of way when I reached there is hit up the state high point. It stood at a whopping 447.85 feet above sea level 🤭 There is only one other state with a lower high point and it is Florida.
Below is the location, its a blue sign under a tree next to a bench. The sign reads “Ebright Azimuth”. It is named after its former landowners James and Grant Ebright. Azimuth is the cartographic term for an angular measurement.
I proceed next to Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park, this is a park overlooking the Christina River. It was interestingly named after Queen Christina of Sweden. Once upon a time there was a colony named New Sweden but it was very short lived. They were overtaken first by the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam and ultimately by William Penn and the English.
The main feature of this park is this bronze work titled “Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom” It depicts Tubman and Garrett in dramatic poses as they assist escaping slaves along the Underground Railroad.
Also on the banks of the Christina is the Riverfront Market, its a bustling public market tucked in an historic warehouse. Here you can find local farm goods and casual café eating.
In the first decade of the 20th century the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) chose to build on the bustling Christina River waterfront a station for the operations between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. It is still that today but owned by Amtrak. It was designed by acclaimed Philadelphia architect Frank Furness, he is famous for designing dozens of buildings in the area during the 19th and 20th centuries. Maybe we will stumble across another one of his works?
From here you can also catch glimpse of 2 buildings both owned by Chase that form a prominent part of the Wilmington skyline.
If you wanted to get a better view of the skyline a stroll along the Christina river is in order. There you can see the 2nd tallest and tallest residential building in Wilmington. If you wanted to see the tallest building of Wilmington you would have to go further inland but view isn’t as nice as this.
While there a cool thing to check out is the Iron Hill Brewery, it is named after a hill outside of Newark, Delaware and was the site of a significant battle during the Revolutionary War. You could say it is a chain since it is one of many locations in fact 16 locations and you could find them also in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and South Carolina.
Let’s go now to the street where you can find the most interesting buildings: Market St. Below are a couple of notables I discovered:
The Grand Opera House: It actually started out as as a Masonic temple and auditorium. If you look closely at the edifice you will notice inscribings “G” for God and Geometry; an all-seeing eye, also for God; “AF & AM” for Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
You cannot mention Delaware without mentioning the DuPont family. Although they constituted old wealth dating from the 19th century. In the modern times they wanted an office building to house the many new executives, managers, and their staffs. It became the DuPont Building overlooking Rodney Square. Also incorporated within the DuPont Building is Hotel du Pont. Through the years, the hotel has been host to presidents and many luminaries. Biden announced Kamala Harris as his running mate here.
Rodney Sq was named after Caesar Rodney, his claim to fame is his famous ride from Dover to Philadelphia. A motion for Independence had been put forward with nine colonies voting for independence, two voting against with Delaware delegates split in their vote. Rodney arrived just in time to cast the decisive vote.
However, Rodney did have a controversial past, he owned 200 slaves who worked his Kent County plantation for the entirety of his life. A centerpiece of the square is a hulking bronze statue of Caesar Rodney on a horse but its not there now. Amidst last year’s racial protests with activists toppling Confederate monuments, the Wilmington mayor made the hard decision to remove it to a storage facility to avoid damage.
Also facing Rodney Sq is the Century-old courthouse renovated for Delaware law firm offices
The brownstone you see below is another creation of Frank Furness. It once lived a life as the Security Trust & Safe Deposit Co. Building. It is slated to become a new boutique hotel and rooftop lounge
Below you have what used to house the Snellenburg’s department store at the turn of the 20th century. Today its an upscale Italian restuarnt
Here you have the old town hall
Delaware Historical Society Research Library: The inscribed text reads “Thrift is the foundation of all human happiness.” Just a sign that this place used to be a bank, Artisans’ Savings Bank
the neon sign “Evy’s Jewelers” stands out here. Priorly this building also used to house a bank named Central National Bank
Last I leave you with the Queen Theater. Started out first as a hotel in 1870’s. Gets converted into a movie theater in 1916 and thrives until 1959. It would deteriorate over the next 50 years unused before undergoing a renovation and reopened in 2011
Now to take you to another happening neighborhood within Wilmington: Trolley Square. It is a quirky little area full of interesting bars and restaurants as well as shopping. It developed from a trolley car barn that lasted to the 1930s and early 1940s.
Within the square you also have a fantastic flat iron building
You cannot leave Delaware without visiting something pertaining to the DuPont family. For that I chose to go the Hagley museum which you get to tour the first DuPont home as well as the mills and yards for the manufacture of gun powder, the source of fortune to which the family owes.
Situated on the crest of a hill, the DuPont home affords a commanding view of the Brandywine River, with a dam which fed water to the original millrace.
The Brandywine river is the other main waterway of the city of Wilmington. It is a tributary of the Christina River that extends into Pennsylvania. Also powered gristmills along with the gunpowder mills of the DuPonts.
