Delaware Before the Railroads

If you think you know Delaware, think again. Pirates? Quakers fighting with Pennsylvania? Towns so ugly no one would settle there? With stunning pictures and straightforward storytelling, Dave Tabler opens hidden passages and describes defining moments in this founding American colony. Telling this small state’s story gives you a sense of the big picture in American history. Enjoy this fresh look at Delaware through Dave Tabler’s eyes.

–Wendy Welch, author The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap

Whether discussing the colored spear tips that showed the community if a person had been found guilty or not, to the stones that identified the Mason-Dixon Line, Dave Tabler’s book on colonial Delaware offers the reader a smorgasbord of interesting stories and photos of its early years. This is another book to add to collections about the beginnings of our country.

–Sheila Ingle, winner, South Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution Historical Preservation Award for four of her young reader novels about South Carolina heroines during the Revolutionary War

Thoroughly researched and well-written, Delaware before the Railroads offers a glimpse into the past through a present lens. Respected historian Dave Tabler utilizes colorful and intriguing photographs to tell Delaware’s foundational stories.

–Jan Loveday Dickens, Tennessee author and educator

Dave Tabler’s impeccable research and clearly written descriptives tell a truthful and provocative story for anyone interested in the subject or doing research for other works covering the same period. The colorful and informative photographs tell the story of not only Colonial Delaware residents from 1638-1832 but our American forefathers in general. We learn about every aspect of their way of life during the most critical time of our country’s history.

–Lisa Soland, author, and senior editor of Climbing Angel Publishing

Dave Tabler has crafted a concise and fascinating photographic account of early Delaware. “Delaware Before The Railroads” is definitely a book that should be in the collection of anyone interested not only in the history of Delaware but also in the history of colonial America.

–Steve Gilly, “Stories, A History of Appalachia” podcast

Beautifully illustrated and presented in a unique format, ‘Delaware Before the Railroads’ is an easy and informative read-sure to appeal to Early American and Delaware history buffs.

–Amelia E. Miller, Tennessee author and historian

With detailed contemporary photographs and concise focused narration of the past, Dave Tabler reveals Delaware’s multi-faceted early history so tied to navigation by early roadways and the sea before the railroads came. As part of a nation built upon complexity, this First State portrait weaves a narrative of how Delaware emerged as a Delmarva gem with neighboring connections to Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania as well as the native populations.

A must-read guide for those who plan to visit many historic locations only heard about. Readers will gain a better understanding of local terms and historic figures as Delaware’s vast early history awaits renewed exploration.

–Taylor Collins, owner Parke Green Galleries, Dover, DE

With his extensive research and subsequent publication of this book, Dave Tabler has provided us with concise and entertaining details of approximately two hundred years of Delaware history. He has done a remarkable job of tying those long-ago events and locales into modern day Delaware.

Tabler’s purpose, indeed, his mission, is to create a tribute to the culture and history of Delaware before the coming of the railroad. Consequently, he not only rediscovers the past, he also preserves and celebrates it with a montage of vivid images and an insightful narrative.

–Gary Carden, author, storyteller, playwright

Dave Tabler presents us with an engaging, informative, well-written work uniting the history of Delaware -from the colonial era until the arrival of the railroad – with photos of the extant historic sites, structures, and artifacts. I came away from the book well informed and entertained, and feel it was well worth my time. Now I want to visit the state again, book in hand!

–A. Kent Van Cleave, Jr., Ph.D., lecturer in psychology and business, author and editor in both scholarly and non-scholarly literature

Dave Tabler has compiled a treasure trove of snippets of historical Delaware events and assembled them in a format that is a pleasure to get immersed in. The narrative provides a historical context, richly supplemented with illustrations and photos. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about Delaware history.

–Stephanie T. Seeman, Delaware photographer

What are my three biggest influences as a writer of history? Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Paul Harvey’s “Rest of the Story” radio show, and my 8th grade geography teacher, Mr. Jarboe. Ripley’s, because Robert Ripley was able to boil down the essence of a historical item into one cartoon panel visual; Paul Harvey because of his ability to lead the listener right up to the cliffhanger, leave them gasping for air during the commercial break, and then resolve the rest of the story very neatly in a minute or two. And Mr. Jarboe, because he used the clever hat trick of telling the story of famous people through their teenage eyes. Which of course appeals endlessly to 8th graders!

I wanted to create a history book that has the stunning glossiness of National Geographic photography, coupled with event driven narrative that gallops along in ‘you are there’ first person. I wanted to work in an overall style that seduces the reader with a sense of just how familiar the lives of those from long ago feel once you get past the funny speech and the strange clothing.

I’m not a Delaware native, and I’ve only lived here for 12 years. But the advantage of seeing this place as an outsider is that I notice things locals take for granted. How fascinating that “the penman of the American Revolution,” a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, hailed from Dover! That Delaware’s early history is in fact the nation’s early history in miniature!

In “Delaware Before the Railroads,” I’ve avoided footnotes and a professorial tone. I want my reader to feel that history is not reserved for ivory towers and dusty bookshelves, that history is a living thing that informs who we are and how we got here, and told right, can help guide us toward how we might develop next as a culture.