Harrington
Harrington is a city located in Kent County, Delaware, incorporated and recognized as one of the state's small but historically rooted municipalities. Founded in 1780, the city carries a name adopted formally in 1862, replacing its earlier colonial-era designation. Harrington sits within the Delmarva Peninsula and has developed over more than two centuries from a rural crossroads settlement into a functioning small city with civic institutions, a defined downtown, and a place in Delaware's agricultural and commercial history.
History
The origins of Harrington trace to 1780, when the settlement was established by Benjamin Clark and came to be called "Clark's Corner" in recognition of its founder. The community existed under that name for several decades before civic and postal developments prompted a formal renaming. In 1862, the name "Harrington" was officially adopted, marking a new identity for the growing town.[1]
The choice of the name Harrington reflects a broader pattern in American place-naming during the nineteenth century, when English surnames and place names were frequently applied to towns and settlements throughout the expanding nation. The surname Harrington itself has deep roots in English history, with family lineages traced to a town of the same name in what was historically Cumberland and is now known as Cumbria, England.[2]
During the nineteenth century, the development of railroad infrastructure in Delaware played a significant role in shaping small towns throughout Kent County. Harrington's position along transportation corridors helped it grow beyond its origins as a simple rural corner into a more structured community with commercial activity, local governance, and civic identity. The city's official government website notes the founding date and naming transition as the foundational moments in its recorded history.
The city has maintained its incorporation and municipal government across the generations since 1862, administering local services and managing civic affairs through elected officials. The formal structure of city governance reflects a long tradition of self-governance at the municipal level that is characteristic of Delaware's smaller cities and towns.
Geography and Location
Harrington is situated in the central portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, within Kent County, which is the middle of Delaware's three counties. The city's location places it in the agricultural heartland of the state, a region historically associated with farming, poultry production, and related agribusiness activity.
The surrounding landscape is largely flat and low-lying, characteristic of the peninsula's geography. The city serves as a local hub for residents of the surrounding rural areas, providing access to commercial services, local government offices, and community facilities that smaller unincorporated communities in the region may lack.
Kent County, in which Harrington sits, is home to Dover, the state capital of Delaware. Harrington lies to the south of Dover, connected by state routes that traverse the county's interior. This positioning gives Harrington residents relatively straightforward access to the capital while maintaining the city's distinct identity as a separate community.
Government and Civic Structure
Harrington operates as an incorporated city under Delaware state law, with a municipal government responsible for local services and administration. The city government maintains an official presence, including a public-facing website through the delaware.gov domain, reflecting the city's status as a recognized municipal entity within the state's administrative framework.[3]
Municipal governments in Delaware operate within a framework established by state law, which defines the powers and responsibilities of incorporated cities and towns. Harrington's city government handles matters such as local ordinances, public works, and community planning within these legal parameters. The city's formal governance structure distinguishes it from unincorporated communities in the surrounding county.
Delaware's three-county structure—New Castle County in the north, Kent County in the center, and Sussex County in the south—provides the administrative context within which Harrington functions. As a Kent County municipality, Harrington falls under the jurisdiction of both the city government and the county government for various administrative and service purposes.
Economy and Agriculture
The economy of the Harrington area has historically been linked to the agricultural character of central Delaware. Kent County has long been associated with farming activity, including the production of grain crops and poultry, industries that have shaped the social and economic fabric of the region for generations.
Small cities like Harrington often function as commercial and service centers for agricultural communities, providing retail trade, professional services, and access to larger supply chains. The city's development from a rural crossroads into an incorporated municipality reflects this pattern of small-city growth driven by agricultural hinterlands.
The Delaware State Fair, one of the state's prominent annual events, is held in Harrington, bringing visitors and economic activity to the city each year. The fairgrounds serve as a significant venue not only for the fair itself but for other events throughout the year, making them an ongoing feature of the city's economic and community life.
Name and Nomenclature
The name Harrington appears across American history in a variety of contexts, from place names to personal surnames to political theory. The surname itself carries associations with English history and nomenclature, with genealogical records connecting it to a place in Cumbria, England.[4]
In English intellectual history, the name is associated with James Harrington, a seventeenth-century political theorist born on 3 January 1611 and died on 11 September 1677, who made contributions to the tradition of classical republicanism. His writings, produced in the context of the English Civil War period, influenced later thinkers in Britain and in the American colonies. However, there is no established direct connection between the political theorist and the naming of the Delaware city.
The adoption of the name "Harrington" for the Delaware city in 1862 followed a common practice of the era, in which American communities sought names that carried a sense of established identity or prestige. The shift away from the founder-referencing "Clark's Corner" toward the more formal "Harrington" reflects broader naming conventions of mid-nineteenth-century American municipal development.
Notable Associations
The name Harrington has appeared in various public contexts beyond the Delaware city itself, including in sports and public life, though the city of Harrington, Delaware should be distinguished from individuals and events that share the name.
The golfer Padraig Harrington, an Irish professional, has been among the more prominent public figures associated with the Harrington surname in recent decades. Harrington won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Southampton, Bermuda, closing with a four-under 67 for a one-shot win over the United States Open champion.[5] His record in major championship golf includes notable performances at The Open Championship, where he finished tied fifth in 1997 after finishing tied eighteenth in his first appearance at the tournament in 1996.[6]
In 2025, Harrington drew media attention when a video circulated showing him in an argument with NBC on-course reporter Roger Maltbie regarding Maltbie's decision not to assist him in searching for a lost ball during an opening round.[7] The incident generated significant attention in golf media. These events involving the golfer Padraig Harrington are unrelated to the city of Harrington, Delaware, except insofar as they illustrate the broader cultural reach of the Harrington surname.
Community and Culture
Harrington's community life reflects the patterns typical of small cities in rural Delaware. The city supports local institutions including churches, schools, and civic organizations that form the social fabric of a municipality of its size. The presence of the Delaware State Fair in Harrington gives the city a cultural profile that extends beyond its immediate population, drawing visitors from across the state and region on an annual basis.
The city's history, dating to its 1780 founding and its 1862 renaming, provides a foundation for local historical identity. Municipal and civic organizations in Harrington have engaged with this history through public commemoration and documentation, including through the city government's official communications.[8]
The agricultural setting of the city means that its cultural calendar and community events often reflect the rhythms of farming life, including seasonal fairs, markets, and gatherings tied to the agricultural year. This connection between community culture and agricultural economy is a defining characteristic of Harrington and many similar small cities in Kent and Sussex counties.
Transportation
Harrington's development was shaped in part by transportation infrastructure, particularly the arrival of railroad service in the nineteenth century, which transformed many small Delaware communities by connecting them to regional and national markets. The city's position along rail and road corridors facilitated its growth from a simple crossroads into a recognized municipality.
Today, Harrington is accessible via state and county roads that connect it to the rest of Kent County and to neighboring Sussex County to the south. U.S. Route 13, the major north-south highway on the Delmarva Peninsula, passes through or near Harrington, providing a primary transportation corridor for commercial and residential travel. The city's location along this corridor has contributed to its ongoing function as a local service and commercial center.