MILTON
BY
SUSAN STERNBERGER
JANUARY 11, 1969
WILMINGTON NEWS JOURNAL
Milton is a small town and
remember, no two towns are alike, although similar. Each
have a 'story' and this
is Milton's .
Milton sits at the western
end of the Broadkill River that twists and turns it's way to the
Delaware Bay only six miles
away, as the crow flies. Rich farming land, stout forest
and productive marshes lay
between. The farm lands in early 1800 were serviced by the
river and the produce
shipped from Milton was a everyday happening. Milton was a
sailing ship port.
Shipbuilding along the
Broadikill became a major industry. Almost every back yard on the
river was a shipbuilding
year. Between 1861 to 1880 one would find at least three
schooners
on the 'ways' along the
Broadkill or one of its creeks.
The railroad along with the
silting in of the waterways, the last of the white oak forest, gave
end to shipbuilding.
But Milton still sat in
midst of rich farm lands. Canneries to process the vegetables and
fruits
of the farms came with
the railroad in the 1880's. Draper, King Cole, being one which
lasted
a good while and was a
large employer. Smaller industries, like button cutting, shirt
factories,
nylon stockings,
electronics, dotted the towns streets and back yards. There are
three ponds in Milton with mills for granaries.
Milton had it's share of
governors, David Hazzard, James Ponder, Joe Maull , Samuel
Paynter of Delaware. One
of Wyoming's governor's was born Milton, that being Joseph
Carey.
Abstract by Harrison H.
May 8, 2018 for facebooks “Positive Milton” page.
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