Loading Events

Night at the Museum: How Lewes Played a Major Role in the Founding of Rehoboth Beach

All Events

Following the Civil War, Rehoboth Neck was a collection of farms that ran from Lewes to what is now Dewey Beach. Thanks to the recommendation of Rev. Warner, the pastor of Bethel Methodist-Episcopal Church in Lewes, Rev. Robert Todd took the train from Wilmington to Lewes in 1872 to tour the Rehoboth Seaside Farm of Lorenzo Dow Martin along with Rev. Warner and several other prominent Lewes lawyers and businessmen.

Rev. Todd was so impressed with what is now downtown Rehoboth that he raised funds to purchase Martin’s 200-acre farm and another 200 acres from the Marsh family. He established the Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association which laid out Rehoboth’s streets and lots that exist today and built a tabernacle, tent houses, and a hotel. Within six years, the railroad was extended from Lewes to Rehoboth, signaling the end of the camp meeting era.

Roger Truitt is a native of Rehoboth Beach and portrays Rev. Todd in period costume for the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society. He recently published Room Enough, an award-winning historical novel about the founding of Rehoboth and its first decade. Many of the scenes in the book take place in Lewes during the 1870s and Rev. Todd will relate the important role that Lewes played in the development of Rehoboth.

Lewes History Museum
101 Adams Avenue
Lewes, DE 19958 United States

DIRECTIONS

When:

September 12, 2024, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm