Milford chronicle., 1957-08-02
GEORGETOWN
Mrs. Constance Brown
Phone: Georgetown 1890

HnOnes GeOrgeIOWn ZSJO
II. Ernest Conwell, secretary of
the Sussex County Board of Assess
ment, said this week that the new
law requiring permits for con-
structiOn throughout the county
that costs $500 or more, has been
operating successfully.
During the first week, he report
ed, more than 134 permits were
issued and one contractor obtained
20 permits at one time. There have
been no complaints about the new
system.
Permits were sought primarily
to keep the county up to date in its
assessment lists so that a complete
reappraisal such as that recently
undertaken will not be necessary.
Mr.. Conwell said that the need
for a permit applies to alterations,
additions and new construction al
ready started when the law was
passed.
The case of the Dewey Beach
cottage whose land is disputed
came to a close last Saturday
morning when Chancellor Collin
Seitz made a formal visit to the
scene.
He was accompanied bv the three
attorneys in the case, Houston
Wilson representing the owner of
the cottage, Mrs. Rhoda Girden of
California, who is defendant; Judge
Daniel J. Layton, representing the
State of Delaware and w. Howard
Thompson, representing Karl Sing
ewald, a plaintiff in addition to the
state.
The cottage, one Of the original
group built on the oceanfront by
the late Capt. John S. Lynch at
the turn of the Century, was said
by the plaintiffs to be on land that
did not belong to Mrs. Girden and
the plaintiffs took action to compel
her to pick up her house and move
it elsewhere.
The case has been before the
courts since 1947. Mrs. Girden in
herited the cottage from her fa-
ther, the late Charles B. Berry,
who in turn had inherited it from
his mother, Mrs. John Mahon, the
original purchaser from Capt.
| Lynch.
Former State Highway engi-
neers; Russell Lynch, son of Capt.
Lynch, and others testified as the
case progressed and most of the
early testimony included colorful
descriptions of the early days at
Dewey Beach accompanied by old
snap shots.
Mrs. Girden testified ahead of
schedule since she had flown from
California for the hearings and had
to return.
There was a break of some three
weeks until Friday when it was
concluded. Testifying were Karl
Singewald, plaintiff, who said that
all of the original cottage owners
except four purchased their land at
sale following a conference be-
tween the Public Land Commission
and "squatters" the day before the
sale and that of these four, three
moved their cottages to other land
which they owned.
] l.
restricted because Mrs. Girden was
not present for rebuttal.
Even the Department of Agricul-
ture was brought indirectly into
the case with the introduction of
aerial pictures of the Dewey Beach
area taken by them in 1888 for their
own survey work. Other records in
cluded many types of documents,
some of them disputed. Mr.. Wilson,
for instance, objected to one map
| because he said there was an
Overlapping" at the boundary of
Renoboth and Dewey Beach, and
Judge Layton objected to another,
saying he had sought to purchase
property and found that the land
indicated was mostly in the ocean.
John Rederfer, developer of Re-
hoboth-by-the-Sea, also testified
The first reunion of the Barr
family was held Sunday afternoon
at the farm of Herbert and Grace
Barr, Laurel-GeOrgetown Highway.
Four generations of Barrs were
present, the oldest being Mrs. Flora
Barr, Georgetown, aged 80, and the
youngest, Carol Ann CrOll, 1S
months, daughter of A. P. Croll,
Jr, also of Georgetown.
Between these two are the other
two of the four generations, Mr..
and Mrs. A. P Croll, Sr., and Mr.
and Mrs. A. P. Croll, Jr., all of
Georgetown.
Mrs. Nellie R. Barr, Georgetown,
was historian for this first reunion.
Miss Rachel Barr, Wilmington, was
chosen to serve as historian for
next year.
Mrs. Barr found in old records at
the Sussex County Courthouse that
Robert Barr, in the year of 1902,
purchased the present site of the
Barr property, then called Horse
Mistake" from the late Phillip Mar
vel and wife, on the Old Laurel and
Georgetown, Rd., for the price of
95 pounds, English monies. These
lands have been in the possession