Port Penn: A Well-Preserved Early American River Town
We spent a lovely morning this week exploring the fascinating little town of Port Penn. Port Penn is named for (wait for it) William Penn, who stopped here briefly for fresh water on his way to landing in New Castle in 1682. It was an informal village until the mid-1700s, when David Stewart envisioned Port Penn as a major port rivaling Philadelphia, shipping local agricultural products. He laid out streets and lots in the grid pattern often seen in large cities. While Port Penn was busy through the mid-1800s, it never achieved Stewart’s vision. Competition from the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and railroads put an end to its development. Today the town is little more than about two square blocks, with virtually no buildings built in the last hundred years and 80% built before 1868. While many of the buildings have been altered over the years and covered with modern siding, it’s easy to envision how the town looked 150 years ago. You'll see a town of working-class people w...