Belltown, Delaware Explained

Official Name:Belltown, Delaware
Pushpin Map:Delaware#USA
Pushpin Label:Belltown
Pushpin Label Position:left
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Delaware
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Sussex
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:26
Coordinates:38.7469°N -75.1781°W
Area Code:302
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:213630

Belltown is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Belltown is located along U.S. Route 9, 5.5miles west-northwest of Rehoboth Beach.

History

Belltown was founded about 1840 by Jacob Bell, a "free colored man." Under Delaware law, a person of color was one identified as being of one-sixteenth or more non-European stock. This included not only African Americans and persons of racially mixed ancestry, but Native Americans, such as the Nanticoke people. Although nearby Lewes, the oldest town in Sussex County, had its own clearly defined minority neighborhoods, Belltown represents the first successful effort to create a separate community. Most of the residents of Belltown were dependent upon the nearby town for their livelihoods. Some, however, including the owners of the Norwood House, have been substantial landowners and the heirs of families who have owned their own farms at least since the early 19th century.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=82001030}} National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Norwood House]. Richard B. Carter, Phyllis A. Hastings . December 1981. and