|Middletown History|
Middletown’s history: A town always in the middle of things By Steve Hoffman Staff Writer
M
iddletown was officially incorporated on Feb. 12, 1861, but long before the first town council established the original boundaries of one mile square on that day, the area was in the middle of things. The area was occupied by Lenni-Lenape Indians. On March 4, 1675, a Swede named Adam Peterson purchased 200 acres of land for only $10 an acre. Middletown is situated on a portion of the land that he purchased. Dutch and Scots-Irish families settled in this area and a small farming community developed and began to prosper. The arrival of the new settlers would eventually prompt the LenniLenape to move west. As the last
52
remaining Indians moved out of Delaware, the stage was set for important changes in the character of the area. The name “Middletown” first came into use in the 1750s. The name referred to the town’s position midway between the head of the river and the waters of the Appoquinimink Creek. The proximity to water made the area desirable for people to open up mills. Thomas Noxon and his family settled in the area outside of Middletown around 1740. He opened a gristmill which became very successful. In 1761, David Witherspoon built and opened a “publick house” which made the area popular as a stop-over for travelers. The rich soil of the area was perfect for planting wheat and corn, and Middletown has deep
Middletown Life | Summer/Fall 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com
roots as a farming community. Trading in town also flourished, and Middletown was a trading and farming center for the entire state of Delaware. By 1799, the area of Middletown was a village of about 120 inhabitants with several different mills. Before long, though, the town of Middletown was prospering and growing as businesses started opening—a wheelwright, an iron works, and a tannery were among the businesses to spring up. The population increased to 368 by the middle of the nineteenth century. Just 50 years later, it was the largest village in the Hundred. As more families moved to the area, schools were needed. The Middletown Academy was built in 1826 and still stands today as arguably the town’s most historically significant