Milton
Milton is a town in Sussex County, in the southern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula. Located at the head of the Broadkill River, Milton was first settled in 1672 by English colonists. The population was 3,291 at the 2020 census. Sitting inland from the Atlantic coast, Milton occupies a distinctive place in Delaware history — shaped by centuries of shipbuilding, agricultural commerce, and architectural legacy — and has reinvented itself in recent decades as a destination for heritage tourism, craft brewing, and nature recreation. It is part of the rapidly growing Cape Region and lies within the Salisbury, Maryland–Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The area was first settled in prehistoric times by the Leni Lenape and Nanticoke Indians. Beginning in 1675, English planters began settling in the area, following earlier Dutch settlement in Lewes. The beginnings of the town itself reached back to the early 18th century lumbering, mill, shipping, and shipbuilding activities at the head of the Broadkill — or Broadkiln — River.
Two factors appear to have prompted the rapid development of Milton as an inland port. First, its interior location offered easy water transportation access to sources of forest and farm products. Second, because it was some 10 miles inland of Lewes via the circuitous Broadkill, it was more secure from the pirate and foreign naval attacks that troubled bayfront towns in the early centuries.
Once known as Osborne's Landing and Head-of-the-Broadkill, the town was renamed Milton in 1807 and incorporated by the State Legislature on March 17, 1865. In 1807, the Delaware Legislature changed the settlement's name from "Head of the Broadkiln" to "Milton" in honor of the famous English poet John Milton. By 1809, the town possessed a shipyard, seven granaries, and four stores; tanyards were later established. Shipbuilding reached its peak between the Civil War and 1880, during which time there were on the stocks usually three or four schooners that measured as much as 125 feet in length.
By 1887, shipbuilding had almost ceased, but six vessels plied regularly to Philadelphia and five to New York with grain, produce, lumber, cordwood, and other products such as holly.
By the late 19th century, the industrial development of granaries and crop processing was well established in the south end of town. The Queen Anne's Railroad (later called the Maryland & Delaware Coast Railway) crossed Federal and Chestnut Streets, with rail services to points north through Ellendale, six miles to the west. In 1909, a fire destroyed 14 buildings in the downtown area, causing $400,000 worth of damage.
Architecture and the Historic District
What is special about Milton — named after English poet John Milton in 1807 — is its eclectic assortment of homes and buildings, reflecting centuries of varying architectural styles. The Milton Historic District includes 188 contributing buildings and one contributing site in the central business district and surrounding residential areas. The district includes much of Union, Federal, Broad, Chestnut, and Mill Streets, and encompasses a wide variety of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.
Union, Broad, and Chestnut Streets include many examples of Gothic Revival and vernacular building styles popular in the 19th century, while Federal Street is noted for larger homes that include many Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Federal-style homes, as well as Gothic Revival and vernacular styles.
The Milton Historic District was first listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, with a boundary increase in 2022. Milton has 198 structures on the Federal Register Historic District, and its history is preserved in the Lydia Black Cannon Museum, the Governor James Carey home, the Chestnut Street Cemetery, and the Governor David Hazzard Mansion.
Today, Milton's Historic District is well known for its four stately "Governor's Houses," once occupied by men who served as governors of Delaware — or of Wyoming, in one case. The area is also home to the Milton Historical Society, founded in 1970. It resides in the former Methodist Church that was built in 1857, donated by Lydia Black Cannon.
The Holly Industry
Among the most distinctive chapters of Milton's economic history is its long association with the holly trade. Milton's earliest local economy was based on agriculture and the lumber industry. Using the lumber from the surrounding area, Milton became a center of the local shipbuilding industry. While shipbuilding in the area declined in the late 19th century, other industries — such as canning, button-making, and garment-making — eventually began to take its place. One of the most successful emerging industries in Milton was the holly industry, which took advantage of the abundant American holly native to the area.
For over sixty years, Milton was the largest producer in the world of Christmas and holly holiday decorations and was nicknamed "The Land of Holly." During the Great Depression in particular, the holly industry sustained the town and provided substantial work, which oftentimes involved entire families.
By the 1950s, however, the introduction of artificial wreaths and garland damaged the local industry. "Jones, the Holly Man," which was the town's major holly company, went out of business in 1961. Despite the decline of the holly industry, Milton still celebrates its town history with an annual Holly Festival. December's Holiday House Tour and Holly Festival deck historic homes and public spaces with cheer, reviving Milton's past as the "Holly Capital of the World."
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
No single modern development has elevated Milton's national profile more than the arrival of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Dogfish Head Brewery is a brewing company based in Milton, Delaware, founded by Sam and Mariah Calagione and, as of 2019, owned by the Boston Beer Company. It opened in 1995 and produces 262,000 barrels of beer annually.
The story of Dogfish Head began in June 1995 when founders Sam and Mariah Calagione opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats — the first state's first brewpub — in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. In 2002, the company moved virtually all of its beer production to its current facility located in a 100,000-square-foot converted cannery in Milton, Delaware.
In 2019, Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams, Angry Orchard, Truly, and Twisted Tea, merged with Dogfish Head in a $300 million deal. Despite the acquisition, Dogfish Head continued to be brewed only in its Delaware breweries. The Milton campus remains the primary production hub and serves as a popular tourist destination in its own right, drawing visitors for brewery tours, tastings, and events year-round.
Nature, Recreation, and Community
Milton's natural setting along the Broadkill River corridor is central to the town's identity and appeal. A footpath known as the Governors Walk follows the Broadkill River in central Milton. At Milton Memorial Park, visitors can launch a canoe or kayak and follow the Broadkill River Canoe Trail that links the town of Milton to the Edward H. McCabe Preserve, just three miles to the east.
The Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 under the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act for use as an inviolate sanctuary for migratory birds. Situated along the marshes of the western Delaware Bay, Prime Hook protects more than 10,000 acres of valuable habitat for wildlife of all kinds. The refuge contains a variety of habitats, including freshwater and salt marshes, woodlands, grasslands, ponds, and forested areas, supporting 267 species of birds and a variety of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Fowler Beach, along the eastern edge of the refuge, is an official sanctuary for horseshoe crabs, the state marine animal of Delaware and a "signature species" of the Delaware Bay Estuary.
Milton boasts numerous community organizations, a civic center, a memorial park, a volunteer fire department, a public library, more than a half-dozen major annual events, and churches. Recreational opportunities abound with the Broadkill River, Wagamon's Pond, Diamond Pond, and Lavinia Pond. Public boat docks and fishing piers are also available.
The town's annual calendar reflects its layered history. The Horseshoe Crab and Shorebird Festival in May celebrates nature with boat rides, crafts, and walks at Prime Hook. July 4th brings Milton's Bring Mayberry Back celebration for Independence Day; Bargains on the Broadkill attracts shoppers in August; the Milton Garden Tour kicks off in September; and Milton Zombie Fest and the Milton Art Walk take place in October.
Transportation
Delaware Route 5 is the main highway serving Milton, running on a north–south alignment through the center of town. Trucks are served by a bypass route, Delaware Route 5 Alternate, which bypasses downtown to the west. Delaware Route 16 also passes through Milton, running along the north side of town on an east–west alignment.
DART First State provides bus service to Milton along Route 303, which runs north to Dover and south to Georgetown. The Delmarva Central Railroad's Milton Industrial Track line runs from Milton west to a junction with the Indian River Subdivision in Ellendale.
Notable Residents
Milton has been home to several figures of historical and contemporary note. James Ponder (1819–1897) was a politician and Governor of Delaware. Bryan Stevenson, the lawyer, activist, author, and law professor best known as the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, also has roots in Milton.