For a state as small as Delaware, you might think there’s not much to discover in our (few) nooks and crannies.
But if you’ve been here long enough, you know that’s not true. And now there is proof ― in book form.
“Secret Delaware: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure” (Reedy Press, $27), a 184-page book by former DelawareOnline/The News Journal reporters Rachel Kipp and Dan Shortridge, exposes 85 different bits of oddball First State history, unique places and some very down-home Delaware behaviors, like eating muskrat.
For longtime Delawareans, you may know most of what is covered in the book, as the peculiarities have been written about locally for years, including in this publication. But even for the most Delaware-y of Delawareans, you may come across something you didn’t know, like a “Fountain of Youth” that can be found in Lewes.
We picked 10 entries from the book to give readers a small taste of the distinctly Delaware tidbits that fill its pages.
Flying saucer house
What is it?: It may look like “The Jetsons” moved to Delaware, but it’s actually a Futuro House located in Milton. There since the ’70s, it landed in Delaware when a local developer went into business with the creator of the portable homes, architect Matti Suuronen from Finland. The Futuros were not a hit, but the one in Delaware remains as a fun spot for a selfie.
What they said: “The flying saucer-shaped houses are made of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic. Measuring 13 feet high and 26 feet in diameter and featuring 16 oval windows, the Futuro has a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and a fireplace. They cost $15,900.”
Space suits
What is it?: The International Latex Corporation, now known as ILC Dover, was a division of Playtex and best known for making bras. That was until they helped NASA’s Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in 1969. The company won the contract to create the space suits for Apollo 11’s mission (and many more since) with seamstresses in Delaware doing much of the work.
What they said: “‘ILC was a true underdog in the competition to provide the spacesuits,’ recalled historian and former ILC employee Bill Ayrey, author of a book about the company and the Apollo suits. ‘They were competing against major aerospace companies in the race to suit our astronauts for lunar survival.'”
Ice cream
What is it?: When owner of Rehoboth Beach’s The Ice Cream Store Chip Hearn began to meld his ice cream stand with his local hot sauce business, mouths began puckering with a non-stop flow of new oddball flavors each summer. Their ghost pepper ice cream once required customers to sign a waiver.
What they said: “In 2011, the store began featuring ‘Scorpion Sting’: African vanilla ice cream flavored with cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ‘You Can’t Handle It’ hot sauce and a strawberry sauce ribbon (with optional edible scorpion.)
Fountain of Youth
What is it?: Move over, Florida. A mythical spring that supposedly will restore your youth has been tucked away in Lewes for nearly 400 years. It’s at the historic Maull House at 536 Pilottown Road, owned by the local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution. The white gazebo that stands above the well was first installed in 1937 by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce.
What they said: “In 2019, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution chapter, Patti Haas, and her husband Ted, once again restored the fountain of youth, including removing two feet of much that was keeping the well from filling.”
Arden
What is it?: Located in northern Delaware, the Village of Arden was founded in 1900 and remains a haven for artists and more free-spirited folks. It was built by followers of Henry George, whose single-tax movement meant leasing land from village owners The Arden Trust, instead of buying it. It remains that way.
What they said: “Residents get a 99-year lease upon which to build their homes, sheds, gardens and sculptures…’We’ve heard Arden is made up of hippies, of Communists, of nudists and there might be some precedent for a lot of those things, but we’re not as crazy as it seems,’ remarked Lisa Themel, editor of local publication the Arden Page.”
Muskrat
What is it?: In some parts of Delaware, blowing winter winds mean muskrat on dinner plates. Over the years, some restaurants have even had it on the menu. DelawareOnline/The News Journal food writer Patricia Talorico has written about the roasted rodents for years, once writing, “The funky-tasting meat is certainly not a universally-loved delicacy. I’ve tried muskrat ― twice (in the interest of culinary journalistic pursuits) ― at the old Wagon Wheel in Smyrna, and, well, let’s just say, I’ll gladly offer my share to anyone who wants it.”
What they said: “One local restaurant that still offers this taste of local history is the Southern Grill in Ellendale, Sussex County. It’s on the menu every winter during muskrat hunting season. You can get it head on or head off, boiled, fried or barbecued and served with or without gravy.”
Pea Patch Island
What is it?: Fenwick Island may not be an island, but Pea Patch is. The one mile long island in the Delaware River near Delaware City is home to Fort Delaware, where thousands of Confederate soldiers were kept after captured, including from the Battle of Gettysburg. Delaware’s lone major island is part of Fort Delaware State Park.
What they said: “Legend has it that many of the med who died at Fort Delaware, and even some who survived, still haunt Pea Patch Island. Ghost hunters ― including those from the A&E television series show of the same name ― have been doing investigations and leading public tours there for years.”
The Wedge
What is it?: An 800-acre slice of property that borders Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland was formed by the “Delaware curve,” a district arc that makes up the state’s northern border, which was created in 17th century. Ownership of the area was disputed between Delaware and Pennsylvania before a joint commission decided in Delaware’s favor. The First State officially took over in 1921.
What they said: “In 2021, New Castle County made an April Fools’ joke that it had ceded the Wedge back to the Keystone State ‘per the terms of our 100-year rental agreement with Pennsylvania.'”
Cypress trees
What is it?: You don’t have to go to Florida to be awed by a beautiful (and somewhat creepy) cypress swamp. There’s one right here in Delaware at Trap Pond State Park near Laurel. Filled with bald cypress trees sprouting from the water, it’s part of the Great Cypress Swamp that also stretches into Maryland.
What they said: “Today, more than 10,000 acres in the Great Cypress Swamp are owned and maintained by Delaware Wild Lands, which works to reforest the area and restore the wetlands. Part of the challenge with growing new cypress strands is that the tree is very particular in its needs, particularity with sunlight.”
Delmar
What is it?: Delmar is two towns in one. Well, at least two states in one. With the Delaware-Maryland state line cutting through the tiny town of 1,600, its name is a portmanteau with nods to both states. The town is appropriately split down the middle of Delmar’s State Street. The flags of both states fly above town hall.
What they said: “Students in both towns attend elementary school in Maryland and middle and high school in Delaware. There are joint [town] meetings between the Delaware council and the Maryland commission, which employ a single town manager.”
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and Twitter (@ryancormier).
