Newark, Delaware

Newark (/ˈnuːɑːrk/ NEW-ark) is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, 12 miles (19 km) west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.

History

Newark was founded by Scots-Irish and Welsh settlers in 1694. The town was officially established when it received a charter from George II of Great Britain in 1758.

Schools have played a significant role in the history of Newark. A grammar school, founded by Francis Alison in 1743, moved from New London, Pennsylvania to Newark in 1765, becoming the Newark Academy. Among the first graduates of the school were three signers of the Declaration of Independence: George Read, Thomas McKean, and James Smith. Two of which, Read and McKean, went on to have schools named after them in the state of Delaware: George Read Middle School and Thomas McKean High School.

During the American Revolutionary War, British and American forces clashed outside Newark at the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge. Tradition holds that the Battle of Cooch's Bridge was the first instance of the Stars and Stripes being flown in battle.

Newark station (Delaware)

Newark is a train station in Newark, Delaware, on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, serving Amtrak Northeast Regional trains and SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line Regional Rail trains.

Service

The Newark station is the southern terminus of weekday service for SEPTA; it does not serve the station on weekends. Like all stations in Delaware, SEPTA service is provided under contract and funded through DART First State.

The station is located at Mopar Drive and South College Avenue, and travelers arriving at the station must walk a few blocks north along South College Avenue to reach the University of Delaware or the businesses centered on Main Street. A 380 space parking lot exists, mostly serving park and ride passengers bound for Wilmington, Delaware, or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The James F. Hall trail also runs along the north side of the tracks.

The station building, originally constructed by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad in 1877, is adjacent to the southbound platform, and at one time also had connecting branches to Pomeroy, Pennsylvania and Delaware City, Delaware. It is now home to the Newark Historical Society, but does not function as a train station. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 7, 1982. The station is built on a "T" plan with a hipped cross-gable roof and Victorian detailing such as ornamental brackets and sawtooth brickwork.

Delaware

Delaware (ⁱ/ˈdɛləwɛər/) is one of the Mid-Atlantic states located in the Northeast megalopolis region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the northeast by New Jersey, and to the north by Pennsylvania. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom what is now called Cape Henlopen was originally named.

Delaware is in the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is the second smallest, the sixth least populous, but the sixth most densely populated of the 50 United States. Delaware is divided into three counties, the lowest number of counties of any state. From north to south, the three counties are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. While the southern two counties have historically been predominantly agricultural, New Castle County has been more industrialized.

Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Delaware was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. It was initially colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near the present town of Lewes, in 1631. Delaware was one of the 13 colonies participating in the American Revolution and on December 7, 1787, became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby becoming known as The First State.

Delaware wine

Delaware wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Delaware. Historically, the first Swedish settlers planted grapes and made wine in Delaware as early as 1638.

Delaware has five wineries that each have limited production, the fewest of any state in the United States. The largest winery is Nassau Valley Vineyards, which makes fruit wines in addition to grape wines. Two others are Pizzadili, a small, family business which opened in 2007 and Harvest Ridge Winery, which opened in 2013.

See also

References

Delaware (song)

"Delaware" is a popular song, written by Irving Gordon. The song was published in 1959 and has references to 15 states of the United States. The states were portrayed, in the form of puns, as: Della wear, new jersey, Calla ‘phone ya, how ar’ ya, Mrs sip, mini-soda, Ore gone, I’ll ask ‘er, taxes, Wiscon sin, new brass key, Arkan saw, Tenne see, Flora die and misery.

Gordon was apparently inspired to write the song after the success of another song that he wrote punning on the name of States of the United States of America: "Mister and Mississippi."

The hit version of the song was recorded by Perry Como on December 28, 1959. It was released by RCA Victor Records as a 45rpm single with catalog number 47-7670 and as a stereophonic 45rpm single with catalog number 61-7670. The flip side was "I Know What God Is". The record reached #22 on the Billboard charts in March 1960.

The same recording, with the same B-side, was released by RCA in the United Kingdom (catalog number 1170) where, oddly, it did even better there than in the U.S., reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart.