Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-12-17

The Improvement Of the Peninsula.
BY REV. J. II. LreHrBouRNE, OF DOVER.

lFrom the St. Michael's Comet.
In 1851 visited, what was thcn known
as the village Of Middletown. II consisted
of few small houses. A village in England
is distinguished from town by the want of
market. Whether Mddletown could boast
of 30 important an institution as Il market
house then, am no. able to say, but this
do know, taat the houses composing the vii
lsge were indeed ''few and far between"
Middletown is now one of the most thriving
towns south of Wilmington. It's long rows,
of neat and substantially built houses, and
the enterprise and wide-awake spirit of its
business men, cknn0t fail 10 arrest attention
and command respect. The land surrounding
MiddleIown, which could have been bought
in lS5l tor Il mere nominal price, Is now
some ut the richest, best cultivated most
productive and valuable land in the State
1t abounds in peach orchards, and all kinds
of fruits, and is one of The most beautiful
districts Of country TO be seen anywhere
In 1888, 2S00 acres of land near here sold
Tor $4,000. This tract is now divided into
about six farms. Mr.. Fennimore who owns
one of these farms, netted in two consecu-
tive years crop of peaches $4,000. Mr8
JdtuC5 v. ulCtIt nOlu lCCcutiy u ldIIl vi lou
acres, about three miles from Middetown,
for $3.50, 900, and the purchaser was offered
an advance of $1,000 short time after. Mr..
Reynolds peach orchard is said in the last
three years to have netted about $300,O 900.
Most OF these lands, before the railroad was
projected, were regarded poor, were over
grown with sassafras bushes, and were sold
at mere nominal prices.
Two and half miles south of Dover is
the village of Wyoming. The village has
almost entirely been built up in the last three
years. 1t contains about forty or fifty houses,
one of the neateit and largest academies on
the peninsula, a well-kept hotel, two stores,
doing fine business; blacksmith and wheel
wright shops, a large grist mill adjoining
the village, and promises soon to take its
stand among ''the family OF towns"
The town of FELTON, is situated ON the line
of the railroad about eight miles below Wy
omIng. Less than ten years ago was at
FELTON, station. There were two small
houses, and an equally small depot. 1t is
now town of no little Importance, with
regularly laid out streets, which are well fill
ed with neat and comfortable dwellings,
There is now, nearing completion, the
largest and most beautiful Seminary that
have seen anywhere on the peninsula.
There are two lac churches. The Metho-
dist Church there is station, and has one
of the most prominent and influential minis
tiers of the conference appointed there. Eel
ton is n sell-sustanirg station, which cannot
be said of Cambridge. Eiston, St. Michaels,
Denton, GreensLornugh &c All honor to
the noble, cnlerprising and liberal Feltoni-
ans. In ten years this town has risen up as
by the enchantcr's wand, and has already
outstripped some of the Oldest inland towns.
Dover, the capital Of the State, promises
to become the metropolis of the peninsula.
1t is in the midst of the finest fruit-growing
region of Delaware. There is a magnificent
stretch of country from Dover to the bay.
Dover already possesses the reputation of
producing the hest, and shipping the largest
quantity of peaches of any place in the Slate,
or in the United States. The town is stua-
ted on the railroad, and on high dry ground.
1t is very healthy, and the most beautiful
and the most desirable, as u place of resi-
dence, of all the towns within tue range of
my knowledge. It's growth is extraordinary.
In 1870 it had a population of about GOO it
is now about $500. During the past six
months, about twenty houses have been
built. On one street in which live, and
within space l,ss than two squares, dwell
lings have been put up in the last few
months costing not less than 100000. The
spirit of improve ment is still rife, and hear
of extensive arr arrangements for building in
the coming spring
There is no town in Delaware that is any
distance from the railroad that is not stdtu
quo, or nearly 50. 1t is to the railroad that
Delaware owes her growth and develope-
ment. There is no country in the United
States more bcautiful-more susceptible of
improvement than that of Talbot, and there
is none that will he more desirable and
more sought after, when it shall he iMtersec-
ted with railroads. hope the time is not
far distant when not only the people of Eas-
ton, but those also of Royal Oak, st. Mich
aels, Bayside mud Oxford shall he walked
up by the shrill whistle, and mighty tread
of the locomotive