Delaware rocks. Milk is the official state beverage.

First settled by the Dutch in 1631, Lewes has a long history for both our Nation and for us. Nate's family has been coming to Lewes for over 20 years for vacations. Weeks after we started dating, Nate brought Dawn up to Lewes for about a week. Since then we have returned frequently to relax and enjoy all the area has to offer.

Lewes was first discovered by honkys in August of 1609 by Henry Hudson sailing up the Delaware River. The first settlement in Delaware was on the west bank of what is now the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal in 1631. This Dutch settlement, called Zwaanendael, was wiped out by the Lenni Lenape Indians in 1632.

The area was resettled by the Dutch as Sekonnessinck again in 1658. The Mennonites briefly set up a colony under Peter Cornelis Plockhoy in 1663 only to be destroyed by the English in 1664. The Dutch reclaimed the area in 1673 only to lose the area to the British which granted the land to William Penn in 1682. It was at this time that the name Lewes was conveyed to the town in honor of the town of the same name in Sussex County, England. Lewes was formally incorporated on 2 February 1818.

In addition to battles between settlers, Lewes has a history rich in pirates. Famous pirates such as Captain Kidd and Blueskin frequented Cape Henlopen while the town was the subject of pirate raids in 1690 and 1698. Legend has it that the former burried his booty somewhere on Cape Henlopen prior to a trip to the West Indies in 1700.

Pirates weren't the last to attack the Lewes. The town saw heavy shelling at the hands of British ships during the War of 1812. The town was shelled for two days on 6-7 April 1813 when British commanders were refused fresh rations by the American troops. Despite the hundreds of canon balls fired, very little damage was done thanks to the thick stands of trees between the harbor and the town center. Ironically, the only casualties were a chicken that was killed and a pig whose leg was broken. Many cannon balls from the attack were collected by local residents and preserved to this day including the one lodged in the Canon Ball House on Front Street across from the 1812 Memorial Park.

With the advent of World War II and the rise in the importance of the refineries in Wilmington and Philadelphia, Lewes became a primary concern amongst war planners. Camp Cape Henlopen (1918 - 1919) located on the Cape during World War I was renamed Fort Miles in 1941 with additional batteries built between 1943 and 1948. The primary concern was to defend the mouth of the Delaware River from invading German U-Boats. Evidence of this defense can still be seen with the fire control towers dotting the shore line and what is now Cape Henlopen State Park. By 1958, long-range missiles had changed coastal defense tactics and rendered Fort Miles obsolete. In 1964, 543 acres of the base were returned to the State of Delaware, forming the heart of Cape Henlopen State Park. In April, 2005, Fort Miles was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Lewes has long relied on the sea for its existence. Home to an excellent harbor, it remains an East Coast port of call and home to a large fleet of fishing boats. It is the base of the Delaware Bay and River Pilots Association. Members of the association guide cargo vessels to and from the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia. Today the town is a thriving sea-side resort community offering a small town alternative to the bustle of the southern Delmarva resorts.

Additional Links and sources for the information above:

• City of Lewes
• The Lewes Historic Society
• Lewes Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau
• Cape Henlopen State Park
• Lewes.Com
• Lewes facts and figures from Beach-Net
• Delaware in Wartime from the University of Delaware's Special Collections Department
• FortMiles.Org
• Harbor Defenses of Delaware
• Fort Miles page of the American Forts Network
• State of Delaware: Delaware Facts and Symbols