The paving of Market Street in 1917. Delaware State Archives photo
of the First State’s history, even though it’s one of the smallest municipalities in Delaware. Laurel was incorporated as a town on April 13, 1883, but its roots go back much further, to a time when Native Americans first settled in what they termed a “wading place” near present-day Broad Creek. Plotted in 1802 after the sale of an Indian reservation, the town was named by settlers for the beautiful native laurel trees growing along the creek. Laurel boasts a long history of commerce, agriculture and one infamous event that could easily have wiped it from the map. Through its history, there have always been two important ingredients essential for Laurel’s survival: the river and the railroad. A tributary to the Nanticoke River, which in turn flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Broad Creek once teemed with ships 8
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whose captains exchanged products between Laurel and other, more distant, ports. For many years, the waterways were the lifeblood of the town. Then along came the long-awaited expansion of the Delaware Railroad, which opened up much more distant markets to the area’s farmers when tracks were put down in 1859. Farmers were now able to deliver their crops to market in days rather than weeks, and Laurel began to flourish. The combination of the river and the arrival of the railroad made Laurel a desirable place to live and conduct business, and the town soon became known as one of the wealthiest in Delaware. Many homes were built in the late 19th century as a result of this new influx of residents, homes that still stand today.