Slide 1: Greetings from Wilmington Delaware postcard

It’s a great story!…how the city of Wilmington grew, crawling, marching or skipping up the hill from the slow-moving Christina River to the Brandywine River rapids. Today’s built-environment reminds us of constant change, periods of growth and expansion, bouts of decline and decay, and efforts at preservation and revitalization. We embrace the entire story, seeking to understand where we came from and the fascinating journey that brings us to today’s city. So “Greetings from Wilmington Delaware!” On behalf of the Delaware Historical Society, I’m delighted to welcome you to our walk between the rivers. We’ll begin here at the Delaware History Museum with a brief slide presentation to orient you to the geography of our walk, and then we’ll “hit the streets” for a walk through the history, architecture, and culture of Delaware’s largest city.

Let’s begin with a brief look at Wilmington’s beginnings:

Slide 2: Swedes’ Landing, Wilmington, Delaware

In 1638 two small ships, the Kalmar Nickel and the Fogel Grip landed just east of here and established a foothold in the New World for Sweden. Despite an optimistic beginning, the small Swedish settlement never received the support of its mother country (at one time not a single Swedish ship visited the colony for six years!) and it was ripe for capture by the Dutch in 1654. The Dutch were in turn overthrown by the English in 1664. Regardless of national affiliation, the settlement to our east never approached anything like a city: for almost a century the area was home to scattered settlers, an outpost in the wilderness.

Slide 3: Copy of Plan of Wilmington

The birth of the city occurred almost 100 years later in 1731 when English Quaker Thomas Willing laid out plans for a city west of the Swedes’ landing site. He named the city Willingtown in honor of…himself! Willing hoped to attract settlers who saw the economic potential of building their businesses near navigable water. For Willingtown, it was a slow start. For the first few years, almost no one came, but, in 1735, when wealthy Ridley Twp. Pennsylvania miller William Shipley decided to relocate to Willingtown., his presence acted like a magnet and the city began to grow, attracting Quaker merchants from near and far.

Slide #4: Photograph of Brandywine River

Legend has it that Elizabeth Shipley, William’s wife, was instrumental in driving the Shipley’s move. Elizabeth literally had a dream (that she considered a message from God) of a beautiful place where two small rivers came together and flowed into a large river. One of the small rivers moved rapidly through rocky hills…

Slide #5: Photograph of Christina River

The other moved slowly through flat land. On a trip to Delaware to visit and preach at Quaker meetings, Elizabeth discovered the place of her dreams at the intersection of the Brandywine and Christina Rivers. She convinced her husband William to relocate and the small town began to grow. By 1739 600 people had settled in the new city.

What made this place such a good choice for a city?

Slide #6: Mills on the Brandywine River

The Brandywine, the small river that moved rapidly through rocky hills provided water power for mills to produce flour, textiles, paper, and gunpowder. A settlement of millers, Brandywine Village, began at what is now the north end of Market Street in 1741. The DuPont family established black powder mills at Hagley around 1800.

Slide #7: Shipping and Shipbuilding on the Christina River

The Christina, the river that moved slowly, passing through flat land, provided opportunities for shipbuilding and shipping.

Slide #8: Copy of Plan of Wilmington

The two small rivers flowed into the larger Delaware River, gateway to the rest of the world for merchants to sell their goods.

In 1739, King George II granted a royal charter, enabling the city to hold markets and organize its own government, and the city was renamed Wilmington after Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington. We will walk up Market Street, between the two rivers, to see how Wilmington has grown and changed over the course of almost 300 years.

Slide #9: 1865 Birdseye View of Wilmington

In this birdseye view of the city in 1865 you can see a 3-D view of our route between the rivers. Market Street bisects the middle of the picture.

Slide #10: Advent of Railroad

As we walk, we’ll learn about a number of historical events and trends that helped to shape the face of the city. Here are a few things to look and listen for. In 1837 the railroad came to Wilmington, spawning

new industries and a huge influx of immigrant workers. We’ll see how the surge in population affected residential development along lower Market Street.

Slide #11: Trolleys and Automobiles

In the early days of the city, everyone lived near work. The advent of electric trolleys in the 1890s and an increase in private ownership of automobiles in the mid-20th century meant people no longer needed to live near their work. We’ll hear how traffic congestion and suburbanization affected the economic health of the city.

Slide #12: DuPonts

Most Delawareans know that the history and development of our state is closely tied to one of its most influential families, the DuPonts. The city changed dramatically when the DuPont family decided to relocate its corporate offices from the banks of the Brandywine at Hagley to the highest point in downtown Wilmington in the early 20th century.

Slide #13: Banks

The 1981 Financial Center Development Act created incentives for major banks and corporations to move their headquarters to Delaware. But banks have always been part of the Market Street landscape. Bank buildings on Market Street reflect the northward progression of the business district over time.

Slide #14: Unrest

Race riots following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in 1968. led to 10 months of occupation by the National Guard in Wilmington. Is the legacy of armed occupation evident in Market Street today?

Slide #15: Preservation and Revitalization

Following World War II, Wilmington began a 30 year period of decline punctuated by efforts at preservation and revitalization. What are some of the successes at revitalizing the city? Are they enough to make Wilmington an energetic and vibrant city that honors the past and looks toward the future?

As you can see, the fabric of Market Street is a tapestry with many fascinating threads. Let’s unravel them and weave them together again with a first-hand look at the built-environment between the rivers. We’ll begin our walk at the intersection of 2nd and Market Street…