USA > Delaware > History of the state of Delaware, Volume I > Part 26
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James Nicholson
1868-1873
Thomas Holcomb
1878-1888
James T. Shallcross
1888-1893
Courtland C. Montgomery
1893-1899
Delaware Clark
1899-1903
James S. Mocrc
1903-1905
Harry H. Billany
1905-
Prothonotaries.
William Long
appointed
1702
David French
16
1728
Thomas Noxon
1742
John Mackey
1746
William Till
1
1748
Theodore Maurice
1766
Gunning Bedford
1777
Alexander Glassford
1796
Archibald Alexander
Hugh W. Ritchie
served from
1805-1810
Henry Steele
66
1812-1817
Cornelius D. Blaney
66
1831-1837
Samuel Biddle
66
1847-1852
William G. Whitely
1852-1857
John A. Alderdice
1857-1862
William G. Whitely
1862-1865
Richard G. Cooper .
1865-1875
Charles Beasten
66
1875-1880
George A. Maxwell
66
1880-1800
Peter A. Horty
1890-1895
Victor B. Wooley
1895-1901
Frank L. Speakman
1801
Thomas Stockton
1810-1812
Joseph Roberts
1817-1831
James D. Mansfield
1837-1847
1901-
1855-1859
298
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
Registers of Court of Chancery und Clerks of the Orphans' Court.
Hugh W. Richie
served from
1805-1810
Alexander Reynolds
$6
1817-1822
David Paynter
1822-1826
Joseph L. Harper
1826-1832
Thomas Stockton
1832-1835
John Gordon
1835-1840
Cornelius D. Blaney
1840-1840
Charles H. Black
66
1840-1845
Cornelius D. Blaney
66
1847-1849
Peter B. Vandever
66
1849-1854
William Huffington
66
1854-1856
John D. Bird
1856-1861
James Duncan
1861-1863
Samuel Guthrie
66
1868-1873
Charles M. Vandever
66
1873-1877
James M. Houseman
66
1877-1887
Charles H. Mc W horter
66
1887-1893
Colin Ferguson
66
1893-1903
Joseph C. Jolis
66
1903 -
Treasurers of New Castle County.
Richard Mc Williams
served from
1777-1785
John Hyatt
1785-1797
James McCalmont
66
1797-1807
Caleb P. Bennett
1807-1833
George Houston
66
1833-1841
Ziba Ferris
1841-1843
Washington Russell
66
1843-1846
Andrew P. Reading
66
66
1846-1847
Benjamin Whiteman
66
1847-1849
Edward Williams
1849-1851
James N. Sutton
1851-1853
Thomas H. Moore
1853-1855
Henry Rowan
66
1857-1859
Thomas Scott
66
1859-1861
Mark M. Cleaver
1861-1869
James B. Clarkson
1869-1871
Gassaway Watkins
66
66
1871-1873
Mark M. Cleaver
1873-1874
Gassaway Watkins
1874-1875
66
1810-1817
Joseph Roberts
66
1855-1857
James Delaplaine
1863-1868
Benjamin Ustick
1845-1847
Hugh H. Thompson
1854-1854
Edward W. Clay
299
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
William Herbert
served from
1875-1887
Edmund Haman
1887-1892
John T. Dickey
1892-1897
Horace G. Rettew
.6
1897-1905
Robert M. Burns
1905-
THE CITY OF WILMINGTON.
Wilmington is the only city in the State that has a popula- tion exceeding 6,000. Its admirable location between two rivers and its proximity to the Delaware River have led to its rapid growth, and almost from its beginning it has been noted , as a manufacturing center. The streets, with rare exceptions, are laid out at right angles with each other and those running from east to west are named numerically. The founders of the city seemed to have copied after Philadelphia in the gen- eral plan adopted.
The city is built upon a succession of hills, the highest ground being in the vicinity of Eighth and Rodney streets. The land on which the city was originally built was granted by the agent of the Duke of York to John Anderson and Tymen Stidham ; these grants were made about the year 1761. Part of the land granted to Anderson was afterwards sold to Samuel Peterson and by the heirs of Peterson a sale of part was made to Andrew Justison. A daughter of Andrew Justi- son in 1728 married Thomas Willing, and a few years after the marriage Willing became possessed of part of the Justison land by deed from his father-in-law that embraced all of the land lying on the Christiana between West and French streets, and on this part Willing laid out streets at right angles and sold a number of lots evidently with a view of establishing a town ; this was about the year 1731.
The town so laid out was called Willingtown ; but Thomas Willing did not seem to prosper in his enterprise, as a map of the town made in 1736, that has been preserved, shows that in that year only 33 houses had been built ; they were mostly grouped on Market street south of Second and between King and Shipley streets. The town as then laid out extended from
300
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
Walnut street on the east to Tatnall street on the west and from Christiana River on the south to what is Fifth street on the north. The first house built in Wilmington was probably the residence of Thomas Willing built for his own use on the oc- casion of his marriage with Catharine, the daughter of Andrew Justison ; it stood at the northwest corner of Water and King streets.
In 1735 William Shipley of Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, made a visit to Willingtown and on that visit purchased a small lot in the town and a few months later purchased a tract of twelve acres lying between Market and West streets above Second and below Fifth. Shortly afterward William Shipley and his wife came to the town and settled. They were people of means and influential 'members of the Society of Friends. Others of the same sect soon followed and from that time the town grew rapidly. William Shipley built a home for his own occupancy at the southwest corner of Fourth and Shipley streets in 1735 ; it was undoubtedly the most pre- tentious house erected up to that time in the State and served as the Shipley residence until his death in 1768. The build- ing stood for 14S years until 1883 when it was torn down, being still in a good state of preservation, to make room for the present Gawthrop building. William Shipley was virtu- ally the founder of Wilmington.
The name was changed from Willingtown to Wilmington about 1739 when a charter was granted to Wilmington as a borough. As was entirely proper, William Shipley was elected the first Burgess under the first borough charter in 1739, and served for three years; he was again re-elected in 1743 and served another year. Descendants of William Shipley are still living in this city. At the granting of the first charter the population was only 610. The original charter continued in force until 1832 wlien a charter was granted converting Wilmington from a borough into a city. The boundaries of the city for many years extended from the junction of the Christiana and Brandywine creeks to the Old
301
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
Kings Road on the west, and by an irregular line running in a southeasterly direction from Front and Broome streets to the Christiana. In the year 1873 the westerly boundary was ex- tended to Union street and later to Greenhill avenue and Rising Sun Lane. The city covers at present about ten square miles of territory and embraces 6519 square acres of land. The charter granted in 1832 was revised in 1SS3. Under the old charter the Mayor was the sole police and Committing Magistrate but the charter of 1883 provided for the establish- ment of a Municipal Court which superseded the Mayor as a Magistrate. Walter Cummins was the first judge of the Muni- cipal Court, serving from 1883 to 1888, and being succeeded by J. Frank Ball, who served until 1900.
On October 22d, 1900, Edwin R. Cochran, Jr., was ap- pointed Judge of the Municipal Court by Governor Tunnell. The appointment was sent to the State Senate for confirmation at its session in January following, but the State administra- tion having changed, the appointment of Mr. Cochran was not confirmed. Thereupon Governor Hunn sent to the Senate the name of Philip Q. Churchman for the place, and the ap- pointment of Mr. Churchman was confirmed by the Senate.
Mr. Cochran then resorted to legal proceedings before the Superior Court, to test the question as to whether an appointee to the office of Judge of the Municipal Court must, under the constitution of 1897, be confirmed by the Senate. The Su- perior Court held that confirmation by the Senate was neces- sary. The case was then appealed to the Supreme Court and by a decision of that court in which Chancellor Nicholson and Judge Grubb joined, the lower court was reversed and the seat given to Mr. Cochran. During the pending of these proceed- ings, from February 1901 until January 1902, Mr. Churchman performed the duties of the office. Judge Cochran assumned the place in January, 1902, and has since performed its duties.
The first market house was built in Fourth street between Market and Shipley streets, and a second was afterwards built
302
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
on the same street between Shipley and Orange streets. The first Second Street Market House was built in 1737 and stood until 1793 when it was rebuilt and lasted until 1876 when the City leased the land to a corporation called the " City Market Company " and it was under its direction that the market house now standing was built in 1876. The City established a market house on Twelfth street between Market and King streets in 1848 and a Farmers' Market was author- ized to be built on the same street between King and French streets ; this market, however, never prospered ; the building stood for about forty years when it was torn down.
When the firm of Gregg & Bowe built their large carriage works at the S. W. corner of Eiglith and Orange streets in 1868 they set apart the first floor of the building for market purposes calling it the "Farmers' Market." This was the first private market enterprise. It is occupied by butchers, truckers and farmers and has been well patronized by the public. A second venture to found a market house as a private enterprise was the establishment of the Third Street Market at the S. W. corner of Third and King streets by James Bradford in 1875. It has been fairly successful and is now under the control of the Wilmington Market Company. An effort was made to establish a market on Front street be- tween Jefferson and Madison streets but it failed for lack of patronage. The building is now used by Thomas H. H. Messinger as a carriage factory.
Wilmington for many years has been noted for its good markets. A street market has been maintained as long as the memory of man runneth. This market until about the year 1868 was held on Market street but after the advent of street cars it was transferred to King street and a public market is now held on that street on Wednesday and Saturday of each week and for some hours of the two afternoons preceding. The town folk are much attached to the street market and the belief is general that fresher and cheaper commodities are offered on the public street than could be gotten in the market houses.
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WILMINGTON POSTOFFICE AND CUSTOM HOUSE. 1855 TO 1897.
WILMINGTON CITY HALL. BUILT A. D. 1798.
303
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
The first Town Hall was built over the west end of the Second Street Market House fronting on Market street. It was built in 1774 and was torn down in 1795. In 1798 a City Hall was built on Market street below Sixth, and has been occupied since as the meeting-place for the City govern- ment. It has been several times enlarged and is quite differ- ent in construction from what it was originally. The clock and bell on the City Hall were donated to the city by Joseph Tatnall. The clock is still in running order, but the bell was removed and replaced by another in 1866.
The first Postmaster was Jacob Broom who served from 1790 to 1792. He was succeeded by John Webster who served from 1792 to 1795, and then in turn came Samuel Byrnes from 1795 to 1796, Enoch Welch from 1796 to 1798, and Edward Gilpin from 1798 to 1802. As the successor of Gilpin, Joseph Bringhurst was appointed April 19, 1802, and served until 1820. During his term the Post Office occupied a small room adjoining Bringhurst's drug store on Market street below Third. The location of the Post Office before Bringhurst's incumbency is not known.
In 1820 Nicholas G. Williamson was appointed as the suc- cessor of Bringhurst and served, under succeeding administra- tions, until 1841. During Williamson's time the office was located at the northwest corner of Third and Shipley Streets. In 1841 Jacob Alrichs was appointed as Williamson's suc- cessor, but after serving about two years Alrichs was removed and Nicholas G. Williamson reappointed under date of July 25, 1843. He only served until October 20, 1843, when William Sellars was appointed to succeed him. Sellars occupied the place until 1849. In the latter year Henry H. J. Naff was appointed and served until 1853. John McClung was his successor, serving from 1853 to 1856. Henry F. Askew was appointed in 1856 and served until the Lincoln administration in 1861. The following have served as post- masters since the beginning of the Civil War:
304
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
Postmastera.
Arthur H. Grimshaw
1861-1866
Daniel F. Stewart
1890-1894
Joseph M. Barr
1866-1869
Enoch Moore, Jr. 1894-1898
James Lewis
1869-1874
Hugh C. Browne
1898-1901
William M. Pyle
1874-1882
Williao H. Heald
1901-1906
William Y. Swiggett
1882-1886
Henry C. Conrad
1906-
Robert H. Taylor
1886-1890
The first government building erected at Sixth and King streets for postoffice purposes in 1855 continued in use until 1897 when a new federal building was erected on Ninth street occupying the entire frontage between Shipley and Orange streets. This building was erected at a cost of $200,000, and accommodates not only the post office but also the United States courts and other federal offices.
The inhabitants of the city for many years procured their water supply through private pumps. As early as 1796 the borough council took steps toward placing the pumps under the care of the borough and in 1800 some effort was made to have the town supplied with water from the spring on the hill on Third street near Tatnall, but this effort did not succeed. "The Wilmington Spring Water Co." was incorporated in 1804 by several of the most influential citizens of the place. This company supplied water in a limited way to a small territory for five or six years when the borough council purchased all the rights and equipments of the company and established the Wilmington Water Department. For many years wooden pipes were used for conveying the water from the reservoirs at the springs, along the principal streets where a number of cisterns were placed.
This primitive system, while not entirely satisfactory, served the purpose until 1820, when a committee was appointed by the borough council to " view the field and report the probable expense of having water brought from the Brandywine." From this movement developed the building of a large reservoir on the lot between Tenth and Eleventh streets and Market and King streets, the water supply being brought from the Brandy- wine by means of force pumps. In 1827 the borough author-
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WILMINGTON POSTOFFICE AND CUSTOM HOUSE. A. D. 1897.
305
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
ities purchased from John Cummins for the sum of $28,000 his large mill on the south side of the Brandywine, to be used as the location for the pump that was to force the water to the basin. From time to time the system has been improved and extended.
The new reservoir at Eighth and Rodney streets was erected about 1865 and the Cool Spring Reservoir at Tenth and Franklin streets was finished in 1877. The pumping stations and general equipment of the department have been gradually enlarged and improved of recent years but the rapid increase of population has led to the necessity of a still further supply of water for the accommodation of the increased population, and steps are now being actively taken for the erection of a new reservoir on the Weldin Farm, a mile or more from the city limits on the Concord turnpike.
By an Act of the General Assembly passed in 1883, the control of the water department was taken away from city council and vested in a Board of Water Commissioners. The original members of the board were William T. Porter, Caesar A. Rodney and Lewis Paynter. The affairs of the board have been managed in a way to commend them to the public. Mr. Porter, who for many years was the president of the board, proved to be a most capable man for the position and under his direction the department was most carefully managed and the income continually increased. No department of the city government has shown more efficient management.
The following have served as members of the Board of Water Commissioners since its organization in 1883 :
William T. Porter
April,
1883
to January,
1901
Caesar A. Rodney
April,
1883
June,
1884
Lewis W. Paynter
-
April,
1883
June,
1884
William G. Gibbons
June,
1884
July,
1885
Christian Febiger
June,
1884
January,
1892
James Carmichael
July,
1885
July,
1891
Henry F. Pickels
July,
1891
July,
1897
Thomas B. Smith
January,
1892
July,
1893
Washington Hastings
July,
1893
July,
1899
20
306
. HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
Alfred Betts
July, 1897
to July, 1903
William H. Swift
February, 1901
July,
1901
Joseph P. Pyle
July,
1899
November, 1903
James P. Jones
July,
1901
November, 1903
Peter J. Ford
July,
1903
David Lindsay
November, 1903
A. H. G. Garrett
November, 1903
July,
1905
Benjamin F. Shaw
July,
1905
William W. Knox
July,
1907
In the early days, before the erection of bridges, there were several fords across the Brandywine. The Philadelphia road was possibly the oldest of the public roads leading into Wil- mington. Most of the traffic coming into Wilmington by this road crossed the Brandywine on a ferry maintained at the foot of French street. There was also a ford across the Brandy- wine at the foot of Adams street and on the southerly side of the stream the ford at that place connected with the Old Kings road which intersected the Kennett road at what is now the inter- section of Delaware avenue and Adams street. The Old Kings road took a southwesterly course after leaving the Kennett road, gradually mounting the hill, passing what is now Eighth street at Harrison, and Sixth street at Franklin, and joining what is now Broome street near the corner of Fifth. From that point it followed the course of Broome street, as at pre- sent laid out, to Lancaster avenue, which at that time was the Lancaster road.
The present Pennsylvania avenue was in olden times known as the Kennett road, afterwards incorporated as the Wilming- ton and Kennett Turnpike Company. Maryland avenue con- tinues the course originally taken by the Baltimore road. The early road from New Castle led to a ferry that was main- tained near the site of the present Third street bridge and for many years this road was known as the Old Ferry road. A map made in 1772 shows two old roads crossing the city, one leading from the Brandywine bridge at Market street to the ferry on the Christiana at Third street, the other is really a continuation of the Kennett road and called the " Road to the
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5
& SHAW
BRIDGE OVER BRANDYWINE AT WILMINGTON-1839 TO 1687.
307
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
Rocks." It ran diagonally across the city in a southeasterly direction and intersected the road to the ferry, striking the same at about Seventh street. It is claimed that Peter Vand- ever built a bridge across the Brandywine near the present site of the Eleventh street bridge but the date of its erection is not known.
The first Market street bridge, across the Brandywine, was completed in 1764; it was what was known as a chain bridge and continued in use for fifty years, when it was superseded by another of the same kind. The latter lasted until 1822 when the first wooden bridge was built across the Brandywine ; this bridge was carried away by a flood in 1839, and the bridge that was built in its stead, being the old-fashioned covered wooden bridge, continued in use until 1887 when the present substantial iron structure was placed across the stream by the Levy Court of the county.
The Legislature of 1867 authorized the erection of a bridge over the Brandywine at some point between Seventh and Thirteenth streets ; afterwards Eleventh street was chosen, and the first bridge at that point was built about the year 1869. The erection of a bridge at that point led to the build- ing up of the territory lying on the easterly side of the stream. Very soon manufactories were started and many houses built. When, in 1902, the Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore Railroad Company bought a tract of land at Todd's Cut near Edge Moor the whole section of the city east of the Brandy- wine took on new life, and within the past five years hun- dreds of houses have been erected to accommodate the large and growing population employed by the railroad company in the shops and yards near at hand.
The high and beautiful land lying to the north of the Brandywine at Washington and adjoining streets attracted the attention of several citizens who anticipated that that sec- tion, if developed, would prove a popular one for the best class of residences, and accordingly a company under the name of the North Side Improvement Company was incor-
1
308
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
porated in 1891, and that company, after securing a large tract of land from the Elliotts, started the movement which resulted in the building of the Washington street bridge over the Brandywine in 1893 at a cost of $79,000. A handsome avenue called "The Boulevard," was laid out from the north- erly end of the bridge to the Concord Turnpike, and many acres of land, which up to that time had been under cultiva- tion as farm land, were plotted and divided, and building operations started which give evidence of making this part of the city the favored one for attractive and expensive homes.
No bridge spanned the Christiana until the year 1808. The year previous a company was incorporated by the General Assembly under the name of the Wilmington Bridge Com- pany with authority to erect a drawbridge over the Christiana at the foot of Market street, and to open a road from thence through the Holland Creek Marsh to the fast land near the home of Major Jacquette. This company built the first bridge, and it continued the property of the company as a toll bridge until 1851 when it was purchased by the county. The present bridge was built in 1883. All the traffic was carried across the Christiana by this one bridge until the year 1868, when the present Third street bridge was erected by Zadock Townsend and his sons, George R. Townsend and B. Frank Townsend, who had bought large tracts of land on the south side of the stream on the Old Ferry road. On the completion of the bridge it was accepted by the Levy Court, and opened to public travel.
The streets of the City of Wilmington have been under the control, first, of the borough, until 1832, then under City Council from 1832 until 1887. In the latter year the control of the streets was taken from the the City Council and vested in a Board of Directors of the Street and Sewer Department, and that department has since had full control of the streets of the city. In 1891 an act was passed providing for a system of public sewers for the city, which provided for the extension, over the entire city, of a full and complete sewer system. The
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24-01-1 1-4
REV. ERISCUS TOBIAS BIORCK AND THE CHURCH HE BUILT.
309
HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES AND HUNDREDS.
sewers are under the control of the same department. A recent report of the department shows that the city has a total of ninety-three miles of streets, improved and unimproved, and of this number about one-half are paved streets. The same report shows that the city has a total of over seventy-five miles of sewers. The following list shows the directors of the Street and Sewer Department since its organization :
Joseph L. Carpenter, Jr 1887-1893
Ayres S. Webster 1897-1902
J. Newlin Gawthrop
1887-1895 James D. Carter 1899-1905
James Murray
1887-1891
Patrick Fahey 1901-1902
Samuel Chambers
1891-1897
Andrew L. Johnson
1902-1907
Enoch Moore
1893-1895
Thomas H. Melvin 1902-
William A. Pratt
1895-1899
John G. Gray
1905-
William Simmons
1895-1901
George W. Sparks
1907-
Secretaries of the Street and Sewer Department.
T. Leslie Carpenter
1887-1891
Leslie V. Christy
1903-
Harvey J. Wiley
1891-1903
CHURCHES.
The history of the churches in Wilmington is so fully traced in the separate chapter on Religious Denominations that but little need be said here. Shortly after the first Swedish settle- ment in 1638, religious exercises were arranged for and possibly the first Christian minister to preach the word within the limits of the present city of Wilmington was Rev. Riorus Torkillus, who conducted religious services in old Fort Christ- ina soon after its erection. The Crane Hook Church, the first regular church established by the Swedes was built in 1667, but it was not located in Wilmington, being near the Delaware river, in what is now New Castle Hundred, some distance south of the Christiana creek.
The old Swedes (Holy Trinity) Church was the first church built in Wilmington. It bears the date of 1698, but it was dedicated on Trinity Sunday in 1699, and still stands as an honored monument to the pious God-fearing Swedes. The church from its organization until late in the eighteenth
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