City of Delaware, Ohio - Government history

Following the War of 1812, settlers began arriving at a faster pace, including the parents of Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States.

Pea Patch Island’s important strategic position for the defense of Wilmington and Philadelphia against naval attack was recognized in 1819 when the first fort was built on the island.

Structures date back to the town’s earliest days in the 1820’s and help tell the story of its economic development.

The Great Fire of 1824, which started in the stables behind the Jefferson House, claimed many of the inns and warehouses located on The Strand.

Byxbe (1756-1826) was a man of exceptional energy, courage and drive who shaped the City of Delaware’s future during its formative years.

Finally opened in 1829 with a length of 13-5/8 miles the four locks located at Delaware City and St Georges in Delaware and Chesapeake City in Maryland were used to raise and lower the shipping traffic to the elevations of the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay ends of the waterway.

1831 – New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad opened.

The borough of Wilmington officially became a city in 1832, when a charter was granted by the State legislature.

The Industrial Revolution era was reflected in Wilmington with events such as the 1837 completion of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad which made the City accessible by water, road and rail on the main north-south transportation route providing easy reach of most mall or markets.

Even if you know only the address of a property in the historic area you can find out the names of occupants or owners from the first settlement in the 1650’s up to the 1840’s.

Ohio Wesleyan was founded in 1842 by Methodists seeking to establish a liberal arts college.

By 1848, the federal government appropriated funds to build a state-of-the-art coastal fortification.

In 1851, the first railroad passed through Delaware.

Originally Ohio Wesleyan only admitted men, and women attended the Ohio Wesleyan Female College starting in 1853.

Fort Delaware was completed eleven years later in 1859, just before the beginning of the Civil War.

Secession and the politics of the Civil War, 1860–65The coming of the warThe political course of the warMoves toward emancipationSectional dissatisfaction

Fort Delaware’s role as a coastal defense fortification changed to that of prisoner-of-war camp with the arrival of the first Confederate prisoners after the battle of Kernstown in 1862.

Fort Delaware’s largest population came in 1863 after the battle of Gettysburg.

In 1864, the first horsecar line was initiated, assisting development of residential areas outside the City boundaries.

By 1868, Wilmington was producing more iron ships than the rest of the country combined and it rated first in the production of gunpowder and second in carriages and leather.

Some of these were located in the area of the railroad station of the Delaware and Pennsylvania Railroad, which opened a line into Delaware City in the early 1870’s.

1875 – New Castle incorporated as a city under an act of the state legislature.

In 1877, the two schools combined and Ohio Wesleyan University became a coeducational institution.

The first bathing beauty pageant in which contestants competed for the title of “Miss United States” took place in Rehoboth Beach in 1880 as a way to attract business during its summer festival.

1881 – New Castle County seat moved from New Castle to Wilmington.

Grover Cleveland’s first termThe surplus and the tariffThe public domainThe Interstate Commerce ActThe election of 1888

The Benjamin Harrison administrationThe Sherman Antitrust ActThe silver issueThe McKinley tariffThe agrarian revoltThe PopulistsThe election of 1892

1897 – Electric trolley service to Wilmington added.

A garrison was posted at the beginning of the Spanish-American War, which remained in place until 1905.

The Canal began to lose its importance with the construction of nearby railroad lines and the private Canal Company encountered financial difficulties. It was not until 1919 that the United States Government purchased the Canal Company with plans to convert the Canal to a sea-level waterway.

1925 – New Castle-Pennsville, N.J., ferry service was inaugurated.

1934 – New Castle Historical Society established for purpose of opening the 1738 Amstel House as the first historic-house museum in town.

World War IIThe road to warThe United States at warWar productionFinancing the warSocial consequences of the warThe 1944 electionThe new United States role in world affairs

The peak Cold War years, 1945–60The Truman Doctrine and containmentPostwar domestic reorganizationThe Red ScareThe Korean WarPeace, growth, and prosperityEisenhower’s second termDomestic issuesWorld affairsAn assessment of the postwar era

Begun in 1946, the "Little Brown Jug" has become one of the premier races in the harness-racing triple crown.

1949 – The town’s central district was surveyed and mapped by Historic New Castle Inc. in a preservation initiative.

Numerous banks and financial institutions relocated to the area after the Financial Center Development Act of 1981 substantially liberalized the laws governing banks operating within the state.

In 1986, the state adopted legislation targeted at attracting international finance and insurance companies.