Ward, Delaware Explained

Official Name:Ward, Delaware
Pushpin Map:Delaware#USA
Pushpin Label:Ward
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:49
Coordinates:38.4853°N -75.4778°W
Area Code:302
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:216240

Ward is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States.[1] in the Little Creek Hundred.

Geography

Ward is located on Delaware Route 30 northeast of Delmar. It lies adjacent to Wards Branch, a stream which is 3.3miles long.[2] Ward is 2miles north of the Maryland-Delaware boundary, which is known as the Transpeninsular Line.

History

1800s

A post office operated in Ward beginning in 1886.[3] The community of Ward's population was just 25 residents in 1890;[4] the number of residents had slightly increased to 35 residents in 1900.[5]

1900s

In the early 20th century, Ward was the location of Ward's School and Ward's Store.[6] This store was the site of a number of Democratic Party public events.[7] [8]

The Ward post office closed in 1902.

In 1930, the state of Delaware announced a series of road upgrades to state highways. The road from Ward's School to Delmar was selected by the state that year for upgrade to a state highway.[9]

In 1937, the Ward and Whitesville areas were the site of severe wildfires, with the Delaware State Forestry Commission stating, "The largest forest fires of the period occurred in the Whitesville — Ward's Store — Pepper Box section of Little Creek and Gumboro Hundreds in Sussex County". State officials stated that high winds during the fires caused widespread damage to that part of the state of Delaware.[10]

The Ward Family Cemetery is located just north of Wards Corners on Gathering Garden Lane. The gravestones range in date from 1847 to 1923.[11]

Notes and References

  1. A Gazetteer of Delaware (Issue 230 of Geological Survey bulletin) . Gannett . Henry . U.S. Government Printing Office . 1904.
  2. Book: Delaware Place Names . US Department of the Interior . 1966 . 114.
  3. Web site: Post Offices: Ward, Delaware . 2021-08-08 . www.postalhistory.com.
  4. Book: Cram, George Franklin . Cram's Universal Atlas: Geographical, Astronomical and Historical, Containing a Complete Series of Maps of Modern Geography, Illustrated by Numerous Views and Charts; the Whole Supplemented with Valuable Statistics, Diagrams, and a Complete Gazetteer of the United States . 1887 . G.F. Cram . 356 . en.
  5. Book: Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition . 1902 . J. R. Gray & Company . 84 . en.
  6. Book: Report . Delaware State Highway Department . 1927 . 39, 43 . en.
  7. News: 1908-10-29 . Democrats Talking down in Sussex . en . Wilmington Evening Journal . 2021-08-06.
  8. News: 1908-10-03 . Democratic Mass Meetings . en . Wilmington Evening Journal . 2021-08-06.
  9. News: Legal Advertisement . The Newark Post . Newark, Delaware . 2021-08-07.
  10. Book: Commission, Delaware State Forestry . Annual Report of the State Forester . State Forestry Commission . 1938 . en.
  11. Web site: 2018 . Miscellaneous Cemeteries . Downstate Delaware Historical Society . 29.