By David Maull
TV Times

Lewes is a town that wears its history like a badge of honor.

The dozens of centuries-old houses lining nearly every street are of major historical significance not only to the town, but to the entire state of Delaware. Some stand on their original foundations while others were moved to Lewes from other areas.

The abundance of historical structures is so great that visitors can spend hours roaming the streets of this small waterfront community, soaking in the charm of a town that is more than 360 years old.

During the past 35 years, many of the town's historic buildings have been restored thanks in part to the Lewes Historical Society. Those structures now serve as offices, museums and private residences.

The historical society, founded in 1961, operates its own complex consisting of seven buildings at Shipcarpenter Square.

"It (Lewes) is just a special historic place," said local historian Hazel Brittingham, who wrote the book Lantern on Lewes. "We really tried hard to keep the small-town atmosphere. Generally, people take a lot of pride in their houses."

The town's roots trace back to 1631, when a group of Dutch settlers landed at an area that is now the west end of Pilottown Road. They planned to establish a whaling station in the area and grow tobacco and grain.

However, a dispute erupted with the local Lenni Lenape Indian tribe a few months later and all 32 settlers were killed.

The Dutch returned again in 1658 and refortified the area. But the English also had eyes on Lewes and for the next 16 years the two sides feuded over control of the town.

"It went back and forth between the English and Dutch," Brittingham said.

The English gained control for good on Christmas Eve 1673 when Maryland Governor Charles Calvert, also known as Lord Baltimore, ordered his troops to burn the town to the ground. Calvert believed he owned the rights to the land and was attempting to prevent the Dutch from becoming settled there.

While the town would be under English control from that point on, Calvert was never able to establish his right to the area.

At about the same time, William Penn owned the rights to Pennsylvania as part of a land grant from the King of England. Lamenting his lack of access to the waterway that is now the Delaware River and Bay, Penn received a second grant from the Duke of York for all of Delaware, which would be considered the three lower counties of Pennsylvania.

Penn, Calvert and their descendants would argue over the rights to Delaware for nearly a hundred years. In 1775, English courts ruled that the Penns had legal rights to the land.

But only a year later, the revolutionary war gave the United States it independence from England and helped make Delaware a separate state. Lewes served as the county seat of Sussex until 1791, when Georgetown assumed those duties.

America's "Second War for Independence," the War of 1812, provided one of the most well documented events in Lewes history.

In March of 1813, a brigade of British ships docked in the Delaware Bay and demanded the town provide supplies or risk being destroyed. The townspeople refused and on April 6, the British opened fire. British ships exchanged cannon fire with land forces for nearly a full day before giving up the fight.

The only casualties from the battle were a wounded pig and dead hen. A house on Front Street was struck by a British cannonball and is now known as the Cannonball House.

With its proximity to the Delaware Bay and what is now the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, Lewes became a haven for maritime interests. In addition to being home to a large fishing industry, Lewes also served as port of call for ships in need of supplies.

"Everything was maritime," Brittingham said. "That's what shaped our lives."

Perhaps the most successful industry beginning in the early-1940s were the town's menhaden fish factories that produced fish oil and fish meal.

The town once had two such factories, both of which eventually came under the ownership of former mayor Otis Smith. By the mid-1950s, the industry was booming and those factories received more menhaden fish than any other outlet on the East Coast.

Just a decade later, however, a shortage of fish crippled the industry and the factories were closed. Both were torn down, with the final silo being destroyed in 1983. It took several blasts to finally bring down the large concrete structure.

While the old fish factories may be gone, there are still plenty of other historic buildings left in Lewes. A sampling:

The Cannonball House. Built prior to 1797, this house at the corner of Front and Bank streets was struck by a British cannonball during the bombardment of Lewes in 1813. Today, it contains a marine museum with a number of nautical exhibits.

Ryves Holt House. Located at 218 Second Street, this house was built in 1665 and is believed to be the oldest in Delaware. It was once a colonial inn and was lived in by Ryves Holt, who was the first chief justice of the "Three Lowers Counties on the Delaware" from 1745 until his death in 1763. He also served as high sheriff of Sussex County. The house is now a private residence.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The current building, completed in 1854, is the third to stand at the corner of Second and Market Streets. The churchyard features a number of centuries-old headstones and four state governors are buried there.

Old Bethel Church. Built in 1790, this wood-shingled structure originally stood at the corner of Third and Market streets and was a meeting house for the Methodist Church. In 1828, it was moved to Church and Mulberry streets and enlarged to serve a growing congregation. It was replaced by a larger structure in 1870 and moved to its present location at Third and Mulberry streets. It is one of only two 18th Century preaching houses left in Delaware.

Fisher Martin House. This house, built in 1730, was moved to Lewes from Cool Spring in 1980 as part of the 350th anniversary of the first European settlement in Delaware. It is now located at 120 King's Highway and houses the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

Hiram Burton House. Located on Shipcarpenter Street inside the Lewes Historical Society complex, this house was once home to Dr. Hiram Rodney Burton, a Lewes physician and former Congressman. It has an 18th Century kitchen wing that adjoins a larger section that is not as old. It contains a reading room with information on Delaware history.

Burton-Ingram House. Moved from Second Street to Shipcarpenter Square in 1962, this house was the Lewes Historical Society's first restoration project. The cellar walls of the house are made of sailing ballast stones. It now contains a museum of early Lewes furniture, clothing and portraits.

Rabbit's Ferry House. The current historical society visitor's center, this house has two sections - an early 18th Century one-room farmhouse and a larger section built in the mid-18th Century. It was moved from rural Lewes to third Street in 1967.

The Maull House. This house on Pilottown Road was built in 1739. It has been reported that Jerome Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, and his wife Betsy stayed there in 1803 when their ship docked in Lewes harbor for repairs.

These buildings, along with many others, are what have made Lewes not only the most historical town in Delaware, but also the most charming.