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History · Dewey Beach

Dewey Beach dates to 1981

Most of Dewey Beach was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 1990.

1981founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Kej605 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Dewey Beach began

When was Dewey Beach founded?

1981

Dewey Beach dates its founding to 1981 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1990.

First census: 204 in 19902020 census: 35345 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓

What stands out about Dewey Beach’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Dewey Beach are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19187 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1991. Watch Dewey Beach change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dewey Beach’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dewey Beach’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Dewey Beach on the map, 1918 to 1991

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dewey Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Dewey Beach on the 1918 USGS mapDewey Beach on the 1938 USGS mapDewey Beach on the 1948 USGS mapDewey Beach on the 1954 USGS mapDewey Beach on the 1972 USGS mapDewey Beach on the 1984 USGS mapDewey Beach on the 1991 USGS map1918Rehoboth sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dewey Beach.

The story

How Dewey Beach came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dewey Beach.

Read it all →

In 1868, "Rehoboth City" first appeared on a map of Lewes Rehoboth Hundred in Beer's Atlas of Delaware. It is believed that the name was changed to Dewey Beach following the 1898 Battle of Manila (Spanish–American War) when Admiral George Dewey became a national hero. Dewey Beach was incorporated in 1981.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dewey Beach, 1918 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1918On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1981
    FoundingDewey Beach is established
  4. 1990Born hereLydia Hastings is born here
By decade

Dewey Beach, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Observation tower Dewey Beach DE12015Observation tower Dewey Beach DE1Coastal observation towers Dewey Beach DE12015Coastal observation towers Dewey Beach DE1DeweyBeach2011DeweyBeachA Great Big Hello from Dewey Beach, Delaware - Large Letter Postcard2010A Great Big Hello from Dewey Beach, Delaware - Large …DocumentSunrise on the beach2005Sunrise on the beach
People over time

Dewey Beach, census by census

010020030020002020Peak: 353

Between 204 and 353 people in every census since 1990.

4 censuses, 1990–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dewey Beach’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Dewey Beach Post Officepost office

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Dewey Beach’s history

What year was Dewey Beach founded?

In 1981, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1990 counted 204 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.