Have you been to Lewes Beach? I've always wondered how the streets were named and I'm doing some research to try to find the answer. Lewes Beach is a narrow strip of land along the Delaware Bay between Savannah Road (Rt. 9) and the Lewes Yacht Club. Once small beach cottages lined the road and many have been passed down through multiple generations. Now you find elegant new multi-story homes interspersed with the original cottages and Victorian homes.
But I digress. As you drive along Cedar Streetyou notice that most of the streets on your right, between Cedar and Bay Avenue,are named after other states, interrupted by an occasional "O" Street or E. Market Street and some that appear to have no name. There's New Jersey Ave., New York Ave., Maryland and Pennsylvania. In all I have counted some 23 state streets in Lewes Beach. I'm curious how they got their names. Did the first resident to build a cottage name the street after their state of birth? I was born in New Jersey myself and so many of my real estate clients these days are also from New Jersey, this made me feel right at home. I've also lived in other states here represented like New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine and Maryland.
If it was random, who chose the 23 states and why is there Missouri but no Kansas? I've done my Google searches and so far found no explanation, but then I wasn't born here. Guess I'll visitthe LewesHistorical Society and maybe the Zwaanendael Museum and ask one of the docents. If anyone reading this blog has information to share, please post your comments here.
Do you know all the States of Lewes Beach?