Above: The Bangor, first iron steamer in America, built 1843-4 In 1842 the Wilmington outfit Betts, Pusey and Harlan, a builder of railroad cars, was a modest 20 person operation. That was all about to… Read More »Off-chance repair leads to first iron shipbuilding in USA
Above: Edward Williams Clay, Skaters on the Delaware River at Philadelphia, 1831 / National Museum of American History “Amidst the dreariness of wintry winds and chilling frosts that have stripped the rugged oak of its… Read More »Flying over the ice in full glee
Plenty of people throughout history have faked their death in order to get out from under debt or a bad romance. But writing an elaborate letter about being lost at sea, stuffing it in a… Read More »Drowned at sea…twice?
In 1905 tuberculosis (TB) killed four times as many people nationwide as typhoid fever. It was more lethal than diphtheria. 56,770 Americans died from it that year, the highest rate of death for any one… Read More »Seals Save the Sanitorium
The Wilmington Whaling Company (1833-1846) was the only venture of its kind ever launched in Delaware, and one of the very few outside New England. The company was founded in late 1833 with a capital… Read More »Delaware’s only whaling venture
Close your eyes and think of what the character Robin Hood looks like. Chances are good whatever you envision will be indebted to 19th century artist Howard Pyle of Wilmington, DE. Pyle was one of… Read More »The Robin Hood we know today
Up until a couple of years ago, the statue of Caesar Rodney was prominently featured in downtown Wilmington, commanding a square named after this famous Delaware patriot. I was looking forward to photographing it for… Read More »Caesar Rodney: hero or racist?