September 8, 2023

September 8, 2023

From Baltimore, MD we made our way around the city northeast and then east towards Delaware. The route took longer than it should because we are trying to avoid tolls. Since Covid most states have eliminated cash boxes and gone all-electronic. This plays havoc with rental car companies who want extortion rates to use their transponders.

The vertical Delaware-Maryland border we just crossed is part of the Mason Dixon line. Most people think of it only as the horizontal border separating Maryland and Pennsylvania, North and South, slave state and free. But it was a survey line to settle a long-standing border dispute between Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, so it includes the Delaware vertical border.

In Delaware, we stopped at the New Castle Courthouse Museum, the main site of the First State National Historical Park. Obama proclaimed this as a new park in 2013, because Delaware was the only state not to have a National Park unit. Despite this ignoble birth, I found it interesting learning about colonial history that isn't widely known.

 

The arc-shaped northern border of Delaware was drawn to be a 12 mile radius from this courthouse. Amusingly I learned there were really only 12 original colonies, not thirteen as we all learned in school. Delaware was part of Pennsylvania. In 1776, these three lower counties ‘on the Delaware River’ declared their independence at this courthouse, not only from Britain but from the Quakers who ran the rest of the Pennsylvania colony. Apparently the Quakers were happy to see them leave. In 1787 this new colony was the first to ratify the US Constitution earning their 'First State' status.

After our guided tour of the courthouse, Aimee and I walked to the Delaware River dock and then around this cute colonial era town. It looks like a smaller version of Annapolis.

From New Castle, DE we followed the Delaware River north into Pennsylvania skirting the metropolis of Philadelphia to visit Washington Crossing Historic Park at the southern terminus of the Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River. Our GPS first guided us to the spot where George camped. There is little here. We backtracked to the main site where Pennsylvania has constructed a modern Visitor Center. We watch the last minute of their film before walking down to the crossing site.

Like George we also crossed the Delaware, albeit over a very narrow bridge. On the New Jersey side is Washington Crossing State Park. After a brief visit to their Visitor Center, we drove down to the Johnson Ferry House, where we listened to a guide tell us about the event. After barely escaping defeat in New York in late 1776, George retreated west of the Delaware River. He confiscated all the ferries, so the British couldn't pursue him. Desperate for a victory, on a cold, snowy Christmas Day night, he crossed back to New Jersey with 2400 men and a dozen cannon and then marched the nine miles to Trenton. With the cannons and the element of surprise, the troops defeated the mercenary German Hessian troops in ninety minutes. The victory was a much-needed morale boost.

From the Crossing, we followed Washington’s march to Trenton and the Old Barracks Museum site where the Hessians were sleeping. It is surprisingly in the downtown area of this small capital city.

We had planned on an early dinner in Trenton but unlike Annapolis and New Castle, there is no cute historic area and it looks very seedy. Instead we head back south and find a seafood restaurant off the highway. I am thwarted again in my search for Maryland Blue Crabs. They are the only menu item not in stock. The waitress said this was a bad year for them. After our meal, we finished the day checking into our hotel outside the Philly airport.