Introducing the Delaware Bayshore Byway

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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Big Stone Beach: Tales of a Farming Failure, a Conservationist Recluse, and War

Image
  In many ways Big Stone Beach is like other beach hamlets along the Delaware Bay. There’s a row of houses facing the water, with a road behind them running parallel to the shoreline. The beach is great for beachcombing—there’s supposed to be sea glass along the shore. But the beach gets mucky in the water, so it isn’t great for swimming or walking barefoot.  But two things here are different. The first is a large tower. Observation tower at Big Stone Beach This was an observation tower used during World Wars I and II to watch for enemy ships. It’s the last of five such towers in Delaware. It was used to reinforce  Fort Saulsby , which was built near Slaughter Beach  for World War I and decommissioned after World War II.  There was indeed once a big stone out in the water, but it was destroyed during World War II. I’ve read two stories about why it was destroyed: either as target practice or out of fear that it would obscure sight of an enemy ship. Historica; marker for Big Ston
Read more

Augustine Beach: One of Delaware's Earliest Resorts

Image
Augustine Beach looking south In the 1800s, travel was difficult and expensive. For ordinary people in Philadelphia and Wilmington looking for a summertime getaway, their best option was to take a boat down the Delaware River to a riverside or bayside beach resort (see, for example, my blog posts on Collins Beach  and Woodland Beach ). Many of these resorts had boardwalks, dance halls, and other amusements. Some had hotels.   Augustine Beach, just south of Port Penn , was one of these beach resorts. The Augustine Beach Hotel was built around 1814, which makes it one of the oldest resorts on the river. A hundred bath houses were added in 1867, and the resort was most popular between 1870 and 1920. Vacationers reached it by taking a steamer from Philadelphia or Wilmington.  Augustine Beach Hotel, now Augustine Inn Seafood & Chop House The beach, across the street from the hotel, is very clean and pleasant. Augustine Beach looking north  The view is sadly marred by the Salem nucl
Read more

Slaughter Beach: The Jewel of the Delaware Bay?

Image
  Some call Slaughter Beach the jewel of the Delaware Bay because of its beautiful setting. While we’ve enjoyed several other beaches along the Delaware Bay, this is indeed one of widest and longest, with a good two miles of beach along the bay. It's great for beachcombing and sunbathing, but there are a lot of pebbles, so it’s not great for wading, swimming or walking barefoot. Slaughter Beach looking south There are several  theories on why Slaughter Beach got its gruesome name. One is that the first postmaster here was named Slaughter. Another is that horseshoe crabs that come here to spawn every spring are often flipped over by waves and (unless flipped back by a volunteer) die, hence the “slaughter” of the horseshoe crabs. The most gruesome story is that early European settlers slaughtered local native Americans. [UPDATE 8/15/2021: I've learned yet another theory! In a letter to Delaware Online, Barbara Slavin, Ocean View Historical Society, says the name comes from th
Read more