Official Name: | Kitts Hummock, Delaware |
Pushpin Map: | Delaware#USA |
Pushpin Label: | Kitts Hummock |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | Delaware |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Kent |
Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
Utc Offset: | -5 |
Timezone Dst: | EDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
Elevation Ft: | 3 |
Coordinates: | 39.1025°N -75.4022°W |
Area Code: | 302 |
Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Blank Info: | 214198 |
Kitts Hummock is an unincorporated community in Kent County, Delaware, United States. Kitts Hummock is located on the Delaware Bay at the end of Kitts Hummock Road, southeast of Dover. It was originally named "Kidds Hammock" after 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd and rumors he buried treasure there.[1] The "Hammock" referred to is the ecological version, meaning a stand of hardwood trees, and the name was inadvertently changed by employees of the Delaware Department of Transportation.[2] A hummock is a similar rise in elevation, leading some to believe the reasoning behind the name.[3]
Kitts Hummock Beach is an official sanctuary for horseshoe crabs, the state marine animal of Delaware and a "signature species" of the Delaware Bay Estuary.[4]