Middletown transcript., 1868-12-26
improvements i'm Delaware.


Rev. J.. II. Lightburn, of Dover, writes
to the st. Michaels ONE as followa;
The Importance Of railroads to the growth
and development of. country meets with
the fullest demonstration in those towns,
and that part of the country in Delaware,
which lie on and are contiguous TO- the
railroad which pagses through the State.
l will give brief sketch of the growth Of
some of the towns, and the deyeloRmtpt
and enhanced value of the lands lying up
on and near the Delaware railroad. This
sketch shall be mostly from personal obser-
vation.
In 1851 I visited, what was then known
as tile village Of Middletown. 1t consisted
of few small houses. A village in Eng!
land is distinguished from town by the
want of market. Whether Middletowu
could boast of so important an institution
as a market-house then, l am not able to
say, but this ! do know, that the housed
composing the village we're indeed "feW and
far between" Middletown is now one of
the most thriving towns south of Whining
ton. Its long rows of neat, and substan-
TALLY built houses, and the enterprise and
WtuC-dWdhC opiIlb VI lto puSihCoo hiCh, YAH
not fail to arrest attention, and command
respect. The land surrounding Middle
town, which could have been bought iif
1851 for a mere nominal price, is now
some of the richest, best cultivated; most
productive and valuable land In the State.
It abounds in peach orchards, and all
kinds of fruits, and is one Of the mvs.p
beautiful districts of country to be Saeat
anywhere. In 1888, $500 acres of land
near here sold f6r $4,000. This tract is
now divided into six farms. My. Feni-
more who owns one of these farms, ncttcd
in two consecutive years crop Of peaches
$48, 900. Mr.. James V. Moore sold re-
Gently farm of $50 acres, about three
miles from Middletown, for $50, 900, and
the purchasef Y9s offered an advance Of.
So, ,dO0 short tihiie after. Mr.. Reybold's
peach orchard is said in the last three
years to have netted about $500. 900.
Most of these lands, before the railroad
Hss pf5,ested, we're regarded ppoy were
GYIergfSENn With saSsaffas busRes,' and We're
sSad at mere nominal prices. u " re
Two and half miles south of Dover is
the village of Wyoming. The village has
almost entirely been built up in the lSst
tBFss< yyesrs. i contains 4O'or 80 houses
one of tie heaSest' and ldrgest atade,ii;ss on
the penins pla', aRoll.keYt hotel, two stOresl.'
doing fine business Blacksmith and
wheelwright shops, large grist mill ad-
joining the village, and promises soon to
take its stand among :" the family of
towns"
The toBn of Eelton is situated on the
line of the railroad about eight miles beloY
Wyoming. Less than ten years ago was
at FELTON, station. There were tvs small
houses, and an equally small depot. 1t is
now toYn of no little importance. with
regularly laid out streets, which are we'll
filled with nsat and comfortable dwellings.
There is now, nearing completion, the
largest and most beautiful Seminary build
ing that have seen any where on the pc;
ninsula. There arc two fine churches.
The Methodist Church there is station.
FELTON, is self-sustaining station, which
cannot be said of Cambridge, Easton, ST.
Michaels, Denton, "Greensborough, SO:
All honor to the noble, enterprising and
liberal Feltonians. In ten yebrs this
town has risen up as by the ohchanter's
wand, and has already outstripped isoiie of
the Oldest inland towns. >: tins :,
Dover, the capital of the State, plaia;ses
to become the metropolis of the peninsula;
1t is in the midst of the finest fruit-grow-
ing region of Delaware. There is a mag
nifcent stretch of country from Dover to
the bay. Dover already possesses the re-
putation of producing the best, and ship
ping the largest quantity of peaches of any
place in the State, or in the United States
The town is situated on the railroad, and
on high dry land. 1t is very healthy, and
the most beautiful and most desirable, al
place of residence, of all the towns with
in the range of my knowledge. Its growth
is extraordinary. In 1850 it had popu-
lation of about 600,::t wv has about 25O0:
During the past six months, about twenty
houses have been built. On the street in
which live, and within space less than
two squares, dwellings have been put up
in the last few months costing not iesyt thhR
$50, ,000. The spirit of Improvement is
still rife, and hear Of extensive arrange
ments for building in the coming Spring.
=" Thcre'is no town In Delaware that Il
any distance from the railroad that is not
IN stata quo, or nearly so. 1t is to the
railroad that Delaware owes her growth
and Improvement . "a