Delmarva Back Roads

  Just south of Delaware City and Fort Dupont is the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, known locally as the C&D Canal. It cuts across the Delmarva peninsula from the Delaware River to the Chesapeake Bay, making the peninsula into a sort of island. What’s remarkable about the canal—and what makes it an engineering marvel—is how old it is. It’s one of the world’s oldest canals still in use. Construction began in 1804, and the canal opened in 1829. I can’t imagine how hard it was to build without our bulldozers or backhoes. Of course in 1829 the canal was much narrower and shallower than it is today. It had four locks (Delaware may look flat, but it isn’t absolutely flat!) Boats and barges were pulled through by mules along the canal bank. A bit of the original canal still runs along Delaware City. It’s now called the Delaware City Branch Canal or Channel. You can see how small the original canal was compared to today’s canal. One of the four original locks remains at the ea...

We started our tour of the Delaware Bayshore Byway this past weekend with a quick drive through Delaware City, checking out just a handful of the many amazing historic buildings there. Delaware City's history is inextricably linked to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. The city was laid out in 1826, when the C&D Canal was being completed, to serve ships and passengers traveling the canal between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. It was envisioned as a true city, hence the name, with Clinton Street a wide boulevard named after the founder of the Erie Canal.  The oldest building we saw was Fairview, 701 Cox Neck Rd, built for a landowner around 1822, so it’s older than Delaware City. The third story and chimneys were added around 1885 by Frank Furness, a highly regarded Philadelphia architect whose designs include the Wilmington train station and the Old Library in New Castle. To our eyes, the third story doesn’t fit with the rest of the house, showing that even the best archit...

Here are most of the points of interest along and near the Delaware Bayshore Byway from north to south. New Castle, including New Castle Historic District and First State National Historical Park (see blog post  on what I call its essential sights, another blog post on the diversity of its architecture, and a third blog post on what I call secret New Castle--things many visitors aren't aware of);  Delaware City (see  blog post );  Fort Delaware and Pea Patch Island;  Saint Georges (see blog post );  Fort Dupont (see blog post );  Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, referred to as the C&D Canal (see  blog post ); Ashton Tract of Augustine Wildlife Area, including Ashton National Historic District (see blog post );  Port Penn (see  blog post );  Augustine Beach, including the Augustine Beach Hotel (see blog post );  Liston Front and Rear Range Lighthouses (see blog post );  Odessa (see first blog post  and second blog...

I'm starting this blog by focusing on the Delaware Bayshore Byway which runs from New Castle to just outside Lewes. It's relatively new; the northern half was first designated a scenic byway in 2007 (as the Route 9 Coastal Heritage Scenic Byway) and the southern half in 2017. Because it's so new--and because of factors I discuss on this blog page --information on planning a drive of the Byway is limited and hard to find. I started this blog to help others learn about the Delaware Bayshore Byway and plan a visit there. Visit this blog page for an overview of the Byway and general information on it.   The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal at Reedy Point, where it meets the Delaware River