Historical Sites & Monuments
Amstel House Museum
2 East 4th Street, New Castle, DE 19720
Among New Castle’s few surviving early colonial buildings is the elegant brick, early Georgian mansion, the Amstel House. Built in the 1730s by the town’s wealthiest landowner, Dr. John Finney, the house is graced with original woodwork, fine architectural details and open hearth. Its early fanlight and central hallway were among the first uses of these features in the town.
Detail: Colonial building made of brick.
Built: 1730s
Dates represented: 1730s
Coordinates: 39.66056786897869, -75.56483683574913
Caesar Rodney Equestrian Monument
1000 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Dedicated on July 4, 1923, this Wilmington statue honors colonial Delaware patriot Caesar Rodney. At almost midnight on July 1, 1776, Caesar Rodney was informed that he was needed in Congress to cast a tie-breaking vote for the colony of Delaware on the matter of declaring independence from Britain. Rodney rode 80 miles on horseback to Philadelphia and on the next day, July 2, 1776, Rodney cast his vote which broke the tie and paved the way for the passage of the Declaration of Independence.
Detail: Cast bronze statue of Caesar Rodney riding a horse at Rodney Square. Not currently on display.
Built: 1923
Dates represented: July 1 & 2, 1776
Coordinates: 39.74593866843625, -75.54730460615471
Cooch's Bridge Historic Site
961 South Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702
The Battle of Cooch's Bridge, also known as the Battle of Iron Hill, was a battle fought on September 3, 1777, between the Continental Army and American militia and primarily German soldiers serving alongside the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Detail: Plaque, buildings and maintained grounds commemorating Revolutionary War battle. Also has information about the Mason-Dixon line.
Built: 1973
Date represented: September 3, 1777
Coordinates: 39.640168795539324, -75.73739805574962
First Dutch Colony Memorial (The de Vries Monument)
660 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958
In 1631, a group of settlers under David Pietersz de Vries landed near this spot to form a whale hunting station and agricultural settlement. A report to de Vries later confirmed that the settlers had been killed and the buildings destroyed as a result of a cultural misunderstanding between the Dutch and Native people in the area.
Detail: Stone marker that outlines the Zwaanendael Colony attempt.
Built: 1909
Date represented: 1631
Coordinates: 38.7863252000001, -75.15859354270502
Fort Christina Park
1110 East 7th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
It was long the banks of the Christina River, over 375 years ago, that the first Swedish and Finnish American settlers aboard the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip landed and settled the first American Swedish colony called New Sweden. Visit website
Colonial Dames Monument
Detail: Stone marker that has been moved to wall of fort.
Built: 1903
Date represented: 1638
Coordinates: 39.737194854159306, -75.5384926171865
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Miles Monument
Detail: Black granite monument depicting the Kalmar Nyckel and scenes of New Sweden.
Built: 1938
Date represented: 1638
Coordinates: 39.73663181268832, -75.53859720633193
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Head of Christiana Cemetery
1100 West Church Road, Newark, DE 19711
Detail: Cemetery and church founded by Scots-Irish immigrants.
Built: 1706 (reconstructed in 1859 after a fire)
Dates represented: 1706
Coordinates: 39.69306733377994, -75.78604421280963
Hendrickson House Museum
606 North Church Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
The Hendrickson House was constructed around 1690 by Andrew Hendrickson in Chester, Pennsylvania. Hendrickson was originally a farmer and born in the New Sweden colony, as was his wife, Brigitta Morton. The home wasn’t moved to its current location until 1958, where it then underwent a restoration process. The Hendrickson house consists of a great room for family activities and a bedroom on the next floor. Three generations of Hendricksons would go on to occupy the house. The historic home now serves as a museum providing an insight into late 17th century life in America.
Detail: Stone house, one of oldest houses in America; example of a Swedish home.
Built: 1690 (restored in 1958)
Date represented: 1690
Coordinates: 39.73866413846431, -75.54124876534102
Historic Odessa Foundation
201 Main Street, Odessa, DE 19730
Five historic houses. More than 70 acres of surrounding property, outbuildings, and gardens. An outstanding private collection of household furnishings, fine and decorative arts. And programs and tours that bring this 18th-century enclave to life, all year long. Oldest building ca. 1700
Detail: Collection of historic houses and artifacts ranging from around 1700 to 1850.
Built: 2005
Dates represented: 18th-19th c.
Coordinates: 39.4543832316932, -75.6566612353401
John Dickinson Plantation
340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, DE 19901
John Dickinson, known as the “Penman of the Revolution,” was one of America’s founding fathers who wrote of freedom and liberty for all while holding human beings in bondage. The John Dickinson Plantation was home to a variety of people. We tell the stories of the tenant farmers, indentured servants, free and enslaved Black men, women, and children who lived, worked, and died on the plantation.
Detail: Preserved site of the "Penman of the Revolution" who also owned slaves.
Built: 1739-40
Dates represented: 1739-40
Coordinates: 39.10292506977516, -75.44905143376938
John Milton Statue & Governor’s Walk
114-120 Mulberry Street, Milton, DE 19968
The sleepy old shipbuilding community of Milton, Delaware, has a quirky and charming local tradition. Along a path called “The Governor’s Walk” is a life-sized statue of the English poet John Milton, the town’s namesake. Sitting peacefully on a bench, the statue can be found dressed handsomely in seasonally appropriate clothing, updated throughout the year by anonymous townsfolk.
Detail: Bronze statue of poet and philosopher on park bench; along governor walk, commemorating people who born in the late to mid 1700s.
Built: 2008
Dates represented: 1608-1674
Coordinates: 38.77596168412369, -75.31195241920362
Landing Place of William Penn
Battery Park, New Castle, DE 19720
Detail: Historic marker made of metal.
Built: 1932
Date represented: October, 27, 1682
Coordinates: 39.6585, -75.56255
Mason-Dixon Trans-Peninsular Line Monument 10
Selbyville, DE 19975
Detail: Stone signifying Mason-Dixon Line across Delmarva Peninsula beginning at Fenwick Island, Delaware and continuing to Taylors Island, Maryland (east to west).
Built: 20th c.
Date represented: ca. 1751
Coordinates: 38.45125306148597, -75.23211626511969
Mason-Dixon Crownstone: Delaware-Maryland
DE-8, Marydel, DE 21649
Detail: Plaque and rocks from England commemorating creation of Mason-Dixon Line.
Built: 1970s; reinstalled 2004
Date represented: 1764
Coordinates: 39.11263309463928, -75.74542195223691
Mason-Dixon Historic Marker
Bryan's Field, Newark, DE 19711
Detail: Small, granite monument.
Built: 1953
Dates represented: 1763-1767
Coordinates: 39.722664126363206, -75.73230973115147
New Castle Court House Museum
211 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720
Built in 1732, the New Castle Court House served as Delaware’s first court and state capitol. Here in 1776, New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties declared their independence from Pennsylvania and England creating the Delaware State.
Detail: Museum with information on earliest settlers, the courthouse, and the Underground Railroad.
Built: 1732
Date represented: 1732
Coordinates: 39.65982801199446, -75.56369573742018
Old Swedes Historic Site
606 North Church Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
The history of Old Swedes Historic Site dates back to 1638, when Swedish and Finnish settlers arrived on the Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Grip and established Fort Christina in what is now Wilmington, Delaware. Our site was used as a burial ground for the Fort, but also holds signs of earlier use by the Lenape Native Americans. Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church was constructed 1698-1699 to serve the Swedish community that remained in the English colony of Pennsylvania after Swedish Lutheran missionary Erik Björk arrived in 1697.
Detail: Old stone church and graveyard.
Built: 1698
Date represented: 1698
Coordinates: 39.73853419028205, -75.54048974762745
Captain John Smith Memorial at Phillips Landing State Park
Phillips Landing Road, Route 496, Laurel, DE 19956
A “new” chapter in Delaware history was written in 2007 when scientific studies of charts made by Captain John Smith revealed that he had reached Delaware while exploring the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The wooded areas and walking trails of the surrounding Phillips Landing Recreation Area allow visitors to experience a taste of the isolated natural beauty that Smith encountered.
Detail: Stone plaque commemorating John Smith's travels up the Delaware and its tributaries.
Built: 2007
Dates represented: 1607-09
Coordinates: 38.56392756360276, -75.67214306459942
The Little Church (Old First Presbyterian)
1420 North W Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Sometimes known as “The Little Church,” it was built in Wilmington in 1740 for worshipers of the First Presbyterian Church congregation. Several members of the church served as delegates to the Continental Congress of 1774, including Gunning Bedford, having served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington, and Henry Latimer, who would serve as a United States Senator.
Detail: First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, DE; brick made.
Built: 1740 (rebuilt 1918)
Date represented: 1740
Coordinates: 39.75078995369814, -75.54752948115502
Ryves Holt House
218 2nd Street, Lewes, DE 19958
The Ryves Holt House is Delaware's oldest building on its original foundation. Lewes's early history from 1631-1787 is revealed here including the story of Zwanendael, the first European settlement in Delaware, the Mason-Dixon Line, and Lewes's role in the journey to ratifying the Constitution in 1787.
Detail: Delaware's oldest building on its original foundation.
Built: 1665
Date represented: 1665
Coordinates: 38.77583744856737, -75.14108031028982
The Cannonball House
118 Front Street, Lewes, DE 19958
The Cannonball House was built c. 1765 and was once the home of Gilbert McCracken and David Rowland, pilots for the Bay & River Delaware. The Cannonball House has come to symbolize not only the Society, but the town of Lewes as well; previous uses included a restaurant, a laundry store, and, for a time, the mayor's office. Harkening back to the town's rich nautical heritage, the Cannonball House is the home of The Lewes Historical Society's Maritime Museum. Nationally important pieces of maritime art and memorabilia are displayed in the house, including the Fresnel Lens of Fourteen Foot Bank Light.
Detail: Converted into a museum; known for visible cannonball strike in 1813; many uses over years.
Built: 1765
Date represented: 1765
Coordinates: 38.775925734068686, -75.13941636180145
William Penn Statue at New Castle Common
18 East 2nd Street, New Castle, DE 19720
Detail: Cast bronze statue holding oak twig, leaves, and bowl with a small pitcher.
Built: 1984
Date represented: 1682
Coordinates: 39.659813546618906, -75.56297802312848