Rehoboth Beach is a welcoming, friendly community. One mile square,
the seaside town has all of the modern amenities. It is a place where
people can stroll down tree-lined streets, neighbors know one another,
children play outside and a diverse community comes together to preserve
the city’s charm and unique character.
The History of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
The earliest settlers to this area were Native Americans who traveled
to the beach in the summer months to enjoy the cool breezes and abundant
seafood. Between 1650 and 1675, English and Dutch settlers put down
roots here as the area became home to farmers and members of William
Penn's earliest legislatures.
Later owners participated in the American
War of Independence. According to information from the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society, in
1872, Reverend Robert W. Todd of St. Paul's M.E. Church in Wilmington
visited a Camp Meeting area on the Jersey Shore. He soon pursued the
idea of starting a camp area here on the Delaware coast. In 1873, on
414 acres purchased from local farmers, the Rehoboth Camp Meeting
Association was formed.
The grounds were laid out in a fan-shaped design with wide streets,
parks and specific building lots. That design remains largely intact
today. While the Association discontinued its formal meetings by 1881, other
groups utilized the site for services until about the turn on the 20th
century. In 1891, Delaware's General Assembly established a
municipality for the territory, naming it Henlopen City. In 1891, it
was renamed Rehoboth Beach.
The Boardwalk, now a mile long, was originally built in 1873 on high
ground between the beach and Surf Avenue, which ran the full length of
the ocean front. Many storms have changed the configuration over the
years; but in 1879, the original Henlopen Hotel was built on the site
now occupied by a hotel of the same name.
With the coming of the railroad - which ran right down Rehoboth
Avenue, the second block of Baltimore Avenue became the new center of
camp meetings and city life. Many of the original tent houses (small
one-room buildings surrounding a center structure) were moved there with
new ones constructed as well.
In 1925, a paved highway was completed from Georgetown to Rehoboth
Beach. It helped link the resort with the paved roads towards
Washington, D.C.; and many legislators, diplomats and government
employees began to visit and vacation here. It wasn't long before
Rehoboth Beach came to be known as the "Nation's Summer Capital".
From it's beginnings as a spiritual center to the public's embracing of
the seacoast as a mecca for leisure activity, Rehoboth Beach has
developed as a close-knit seaside town. It's a nod to the past that the
city's present day charter includes words that are nearly identical to
several words from the 1872 charter of the Camp Meeting Association:
"the maintenance of a permanent seaside resort and the furnishing of
proper conveniences and attractions requisite to the same."
Downtown Rehoboth Beach came of age in the era of Victorian influences
and evolved throughout the 20th century to change with the times. Both
the residential and commercial area, despite their growth and
maturation, have retained the warm and friendly charm and ambiance that
reflect Rehoboth Beach's historic past.
From Baltimore, MD
- I-97 SOUTH to US-50 EAST
- Go EAST on US-50 (cross Bay Bridge - toll) to ROUTE-404
- Go EAST on ROUTE-404 to ROUTE-16 EAST
- Go EAST on ROUTE-16 to ROUTE-1 SOUTH
- Go SOUTH on ROUTE-1 toward Rehoboth & Dewey Beaches
- Follow Route 1 for about 20 minutes, take the LEFT exit for 1A
(Rehoboth Beach - Henlopen Acres). 1A becomes Rehoboth Avenue and ends
at the Boardwalk. Trip time is about 2 hours.
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