TOMATO ALLEY IN LEWES.

TOMATO ALLEY

In 1898 Morris Avenue was opened, named for a Lewes businessman whose firm

had built a cannery at the south end, near the railroad, by name of Elihu Morris. A short section of Morris Avenue , leading to the cannery, was called Tomato Alley. During the harvest

season this part of Morris was filled with wagon loads of fresh picked tomato's to be canned at

the factory, so the name Tomato Alley.

Later the town renamed their streets and Morris Avenue became Franklin Avenue , after Ben Franklin.

The Morris & Son Canning Company was established 1887 and in 1893 after installing new machinery was enlarged and in 1893 packing 116,000 cans of tomato's.

The factory was later sold to A. F. Anderson & \Company of Havre de Grace in 1902 that operated it until 1928. The cannery closed down in 1936. It gave summertime employment to the local women.

Abstract: of E,D, Bryan, Lewes Historical society Journal 1998.