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A−History
History · Georgetown

Georgetown dates to 1791, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #13 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it

18 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.

1791founded
18on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Georgetown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Georgetown began

When was Georgetown founded?

1791

Georgetown dates its founding to 1791 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 777 in 18502020 census: 7,134235 years

How historic is Georgetown?

A−

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1799.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Georgetown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Georgetown is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #13 of 37 in Delaware. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Georgetown’s overall grade.
Founding era1791, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194012.0% of homes (±11.1) · typical DE town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register18 listings, 25 historic buildings, 32.6 per 10,000 residents · typical DE town 29.4 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 77%
NewerOlder
Delaware towns of 2,500+ (37)Ahead of 67%

Delaware towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Delaware town has 29.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Georgetown’s 32.6 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 25 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1791.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.1 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Georgetown’s past

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

Landmarks on the Register18 places on the National Register.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1919, drew every building in Georgetown.Lost villages8 hamlets and corners are still on the map.On the map since 19176 editions of the USGS map, 1917 to 1992. Watch Georgetown change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

18 historic places in Georgetown

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
18
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
25
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
Old Sussex County Courthouse
Old Sussex County CourthouseSussex County Courthouse and the CircleRichards MansionPepper, Carlton, David, FarmBrick HotelJudge's House and Law OfficeSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchStella Pepper Gyles HouseGardiner Wright MansionPeter S. Faucett HouseThomas Sipple HouseDr. John W. Messick House and OfficeJoseph T. Adams HouseHebron Methodist Protestant Church and CemeteryGeorgetown Coal Gasification PlantAllen, Richard, SchoolProspect A.M.E. ChurchIsaacs & Sons Cold Storage Building
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Italianate3
Federal2
Gothic2
Georgian1
Vernacular1
Old Sussex County CourthouseGeorgian
Sussex County Courthouse and the CircleBuilding
Richards MansionFederal
Pepper, Carlton, David, FarmBuilding
Brick HotelBuilding
Judge's House and Law OfficeFederal
St. Paul's Episcopal ChurchGothic
Stella Pepper Gyles HouseBuilding
All 18 listings
Gardiner Wright MansionBuilding · listed 1979Peter S. Faucett HouseBuilding · listed 1985Thomas Sipple HouseBuilding · listed 1985Dr. John W. Messick House and OfficeBuilding · listed 1987Joseph T. Adams HouseBuilding · listed 1998Hebron Methodist Protestant Church and CemeteryBuilding · listed 2015Georgetown Coal Gasification PlantBuilding · listed 1985Allen, Richard, SchoolBuilding · listed 2019Prospect A.M.E. ChurchBuilding · listed 2023Isaacs & Sons Cold Storage BuildingBuilding · listed 2025

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

Georgetown, building by building, 1885–1919

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Georgetown fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Georgetown’s post office has been open since 1799.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bowdens GarageGreenlea AcresHarlemtownHighland TerraceKings Second AdditionMurrays DevelopmentSpringfield Farms AdditionSwain Acres
1cemetery inside Georgetown
Union

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Georgetown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Georgetown.

Read it all →

Lewes, sited on the Delaware Bay, was designated as the first county seat. It was the first colony in Delaware, founded by the Dutch in 1631, and it remained the only significant European settlement in the region for some time. When English colonist William Penn organized the three southern counties of Pennsylvania, which are now Delaware, Lewes was the natural choice for the location of the Sussex County's Seat of Justice.

ChaptersSecond county seatFounding of GeorgetownLater history

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Georgetown, 1791 to 1933

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1791
    FoundingGeorgetown is established
  3. 1799Post officeThe Georgetown post office opens
  4. 19th century
  5. 1819Born hereCharles C. Stockley is born here
  6. 1833Born hereAlfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert is born here
  7. 1861Born hereWillard Saulsbury Jr. is born here
  8. 1884Born hereWilbur L. Adams is born here
  9. 20th century
  10. 1917On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1933In the archiveDetail of exposed wall framing, looking east - William H. Ward House, North side of Road …
By decade

Georgetown, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s5 items
Detail of exposed wall framing, looking east - William H. Ward House, North side of Road 244, .25 mile east of Road 246…1933Detail of exposed wall framing, looking east - Willia…Detail of shaped rafter ends and underside of eave, looking east - William H. Ward House, North side of Road 244, .25 m…1933Detail of shaped rafter ends and underside of eave, l…Detail of simple cornice above window, looking east - William H. Ward House, North side of Road 244, .25 mile east of R…1933Detail of simple cornice above window, looking east -…Detail, partial elevation showing diagonal nailing pattern at corner bracing, looking west - William H. Ward House, Nor…1933Detail, partial elevation showing diagonal nailing pa…East elevation, looking west - William H. Ward House, North side of Road 244, .25 mile east of Road 2461933East elevation, looking west - William H. Ward House,…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today25 recent
Delaware National Guard2020Delaware National GuardDelaware National Guard2020Delaware National GuardDelaware National Guard2020Delaware National GuardDelaware National Guard2020Delaware National GuardDelaware National Guard2020Delaware National GuardDelaware National Guard2020Delaware National GuardBarn and furniture shop for the Sussex County Correctional Institution, a jail complex2018Barn and furniture shop for the Sussex County Correct…Fountain in the square opposite the Sussex County Courthouse2018Fountain in the square opposite the Sussex County Cou…The county courthouse2018The county courthouseFamily and friends wait in Georgetown, Del., Feb. 26, 2014, for U.S. Soldiers with the 198th Expeditionary Signal Batta…2014Family and friends wait in Georgetown, Del., Feb. 26,…Faucett House Georgtown DE2013Faucett House Georgtown DE12 E Pine201312 E PineGeorgetown Station2012Georgetown StationGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown, Delaware2011Georgetown, DelawareGeorgetown Train Station, Delaware2009Georgetown Train Station, DelawareDEMap-doton-Georgetown2004DEMap-doton-Georgetown
On the map

Georgetown on the map, 1917 to 1992

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

Georgetown on the 1917 USGS mapGeorgetown on the 1938 USGS mapGeorgetown on the 1944 USGS mapGeorgetown on the 1954 USGS mapGeorgetown on the 1983 USGS mapGeorgetown on the 1992 USGS map1917Millsboro 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 Georgetown.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Detail of exposed wall framing, looking east - William H. Ward House, North side of Road 244, .25 mile east of Road 246…
Retake this viewDetail of exposed wall framing, looking east - William H. Ward House, North side of Road 244, .25 mile east of Road 246…, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Georgetown’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Georgetown, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,50018501900195020007,134

Grew from 777 people in 1850 to 7,134 in 2020, 9 times over.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

12 famous people were born in Georgetown

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Willard Saulsbury Jr.American politician · b. 1861
Alfred Thomas Archimedes TorbertUnion Army general · b. 1833
C
Charles C. StockleyAmerican politician · b. 1819
W
Wilbur L. AdamsLawyer, politician · b. 1884
T
Thomas RobinsonAmerican lawyer and politician from Delaware · b. 1800
D
Daniel J. LaytonAmerican judge · b. 1879
Help out

Finish Georgetown’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDetail of exposed wall framing, looking…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Georgetown’s history

What year was Georgetown founded?

In 1791, according to Wikidata. Georgetown’s post office opened in 1799, and the census of 1850 counted 777 people here.

How does Georgetown rank for history?

Georgetown is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #13 of 37 in Delaware. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Georgetown?

18 listings: 18 buildings, among them the Old Sussex County Courthouse (listed 1971, the first). 25 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Georgetown?

12% of Georgetown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.1 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1986.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (27), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.