Smyrna times., 1936-02-06

December 6, 1860, the Town was
first Illuminated with gas.
Smyrna, situated midway be-
tween Wilmington and Milford, and
during the period of 1850 to 1888
its business interests were more
extensive than those of any other
town in Kent County. In 1888, ac-
cording to statistics, Smyrna mer-
chants sold goods to the amount of
1914, 800. Manufactured goods to
the amount of S495,O0O, making
the total business interests of the
town 81, ,339, 900. According to the
difference in the cost of manufac-
ture, buying and selling, over a
period of SO years of which we are
familiar, our total bushes interests
of today should be at least 21a
million. Smyrna has lost its man
ufacturing plants, through cessa-
ton of private business, the raw
ages of fire and the absorption by
q
Gated in industrial centers.
The grain business was absorbed
by the railroad, which in 1855 be-
gan to haul freight much faster
than it could be shipped by boat.
The Directors of the Delaware
Railroad in 1855 named their Sta
ton Smyrna, which was located a
short distance away to accomo-
date the residents of Smyrna.
Smyrna Station was renamed
Clayton, in 1860 in honor of John
M. Clayton, Delaware Statesman,
and Secretary of State for two
Presidents. From this beginning
the town of Clayton originated.
The early settlers of Duck Greek
were aware of the necessity of
schools in which to educate their
children, so we attribute to the
Quakers of Duck Creek that honor
as they instituted the first free
school early in the 18th Century.
From that early beginning many
little Red School Houses were es-
tablished in Kent county.
Today, after years of progress in
education, we have the Consolidat-
ed school in keeping with the most
modern system of education, which
serves a large area of upper Kent
County.
Religion, always an essential ele-
ment in the growth of any COM
munity, was not in the least over
looked, as our Pilgrim Fathers Of
fered thanks after landing at Ply
mouth Rock in Massachusetts,, that
they were free to worship God ac-
cording to the dictates of their own
heart.
The early missionaries were To-
Gated at Dover, principally, and
tried to serve Kent County.
So in their order of establish
ment, the Quakers built their
Church in 17O5, the Presbyterians
in 1873, the Episcopalians in 1740
the Methodists in 1886 and the
Roman Catholics in 1868.
The growth of business caused
the necessity of opening a bank in
the town, so in 1712 the CONNER
ciaI Bank was organized. In 1922
the National Bank was started and
absorbed the business of the Com
mercial Bank It was not until the
year 1876 that the Fruit Growers
Bank was organized.
| In 1886 water supply was in
stalled in Smyrna. During tbs
height of our commercial and in
dustrial age, the canning factory
of John H Hoffecker was started
That was the year 1867 and had
been the only business to survive
over the period of many years
when in 1888 after the death OF
Walter o. Hoffecker, the heirs de-
cided to cease operations.
I have attempted to give you a
history of Smyrna from its begin
ming, so you can visualize the
Smyrna of the past two centuries
Are there any ways or means OF
once again making Smyrna the in
dustrial town as it was in the 1850
1883 period.
The Business Mems Association
has been facing this problem now
for several years. We have exer-
cised our power as an organization
to try and meet some of the de