Kitts Hummock: Did Captain Kidd Bury Treasure Here?

Kitts Hummock Beach looking north, with Pickering Beach in the distance

Kitts Hummock is one of several waterfront hamlets that edge the Delaware Bay. Like Pickering Beach  a bit to the north, it’s basically a row of waterfront homes. The roads in front of the homes are private and closed to the public. There are a few public parking spaces along Kitts Hummock Road near public access to the beach.

Public entrance to Kitts Hummock beach

There’s also this sign erected by a private citizen.

Sign at the public entrance to Kitts Hummock beach

In contrast to the homes on Pickering Beach, which are now very close to the water, the homes on Kitts Hummock are set back a bit, and low dunes provide some protection.

Lexie enjoying the great smells on Kitts Hummock beach

The beach is very clean, but there’s some mud along the water’s edge.

Kitts Hummock beach shoreline

Fortunately, there’s a foot-washing and dog-washing station at the public beach entrance.

Rinsing station at Kitts Hummock beach

The historical marker at Kitts Hummock says it was named Kitts Hammock by Jehu Curtis in 1738, but it doesn’t say why Curtis gave it this name.

Historical marker at Kitts Hummock

“Hummock” or “hammock” means rising ground. But who was Kitts? There are legends that the original name was Kidds Hammock and that it was named for Captain Kidd. Kidd sailed between New York and the Caribbean in the late 1600s, and his ship stopped at Lewes.  There are rumors that Captain Kidd buried treasure in Kitts Hummock…. but then there are rumors that he buried treasure in several places along the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays! Piracy was a big business in the Delaware Bay in those days, coming as far north as Philadelphia.

As the historical marker explains, Kitts Hummock has been a retreat for Dover residents since the early 1800s, and it once had a hotel and cottages.

Kitts Hummock is an official horseshoe crab sanctuary and one of the best places to see horseshoe crabs between mid-May and mid-June. Here’s a cute video on how to help the crabs by flipping them over if the waves turn them upside down.

Only the beach below the high tide line is open to the public, so check the local tide schedule before visiting. We didn’t see any public rest rooms here.

 

Comments

  1. Claudia ToddDecember 20, 2020 at 6:24 AM

    WOW! I've always seen the road signs for "Kitts Hummock" but we've never driven out there. Now, we'll have to when we take a road trip. Thanks for this great information.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda SuskieDecember 20, 2020 at 6:42 AM

      You're welcome! We've had the same thought--we're now connecting road signs with places. Kitts Hummock Road is the same road that has Dickinson Plantation and St Jones Reserve, so there's lots to see there.

      Delete

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

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

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