Locale | West of Seaford, Delaware |
---|---|
Waterway | Nanticoke River |
Transit type | Passenger and automobile cable ferry |
Owner | |
Cannon's Ferry | |
Location | Across the Nanticoke River, Woodland, Delaware |
Coordinates | 38°36′0″N75°39′25″W / 38.60000°N 75.65694°W |
Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
Built | c. 1810 |
Architectural style | Georgian |
NRHP reference No. | 73000561 [1] |
Added to NRHP | July 2, 1973 |
Operator | Delaware Department of Transportation |
Began operation | 1740s |
No. of lines | 1 |
No. of terminals | 2 |
The Woodland Ferry, historically known as Cannon's Ferry, is a cable ferry located in western Sussex County, Delaware, United States, spanning the Nanticoke River at Woodland, Delaware, west of the city of Seaford. The ferry is operated year-round by the Delaware Department of Transportation. It is closed on national holidays of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Day, and also as required by weather.
The ferry is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, ferries in continuous operation in the United States. In addition to its longevity, the ferry is of historical importance as one of the locations where slave runner Patty Cannon embarked with kidnapped refugee slaves and free blacks. She shipped them to Georgia where the free blacks were sold into slavery and refugee slaves returned to servitude.
The Ferry was established in the 1740s by James Cannon, and operated by his son Jacob after his death. After Jacob's death in 1793, his widow petitioned the Delaware General Assembly for exclusive rights to operate a ferry service across the river. The ferry was privately operated by the Cannon family until the mid-19th century, when the General Assembly authorized the county to operate a free ferry at the location of "Cannon's Ferry".
In 1935, the Delaware Department of Transportation assumed responsibility for the operation of the ferry and has continued to operate it into the 21st century.
Cannon's Ferry is a historic home and cable ferry added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. [1] Cannon Hall was built about 1810, and is a two-story, five-bay, single-pile frame dwelling in the Georgian style. It has a small frame wing attached to the west end of the main house. It has a central hall plan and interior end chimneys. The property also includes the ferry landing site. At least since 1793, and perhaps longer, a public ferry has crossed the river here. It is the last cable ferry in Delaware. [2] [3]
The 65-foot-long Tina Fallon was put into service in 2007, replacing the 65-foot-long Virginia C. The Virginia C, which can transport up to three vehicles at a time, was sold at auction in February 2008. [4]
The Tina Fallon was constructed by Chesapeake Shipbuilding of Salisbury, Maryland at a cost of $931,000 and can carry six vehicles at a time. The site work was completed by George and Lynch of New Castle, Delaware. The total cost for the project was approximately 3.2 million dollars, including the $931,000 for the ferry, $1.8 million for new docks and $500,000 for permits, security cameras and lighting. The new ferry was named after Tina Fallon, a long-time Delaware state representative from Seaford. [4]
The Woodland Ferry Festival is held every September in Seaford to celebrate the ferry and its contribution to local culture. [5]
Delaware is a state in the northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state's name derives from the adjacent Delaware Bay, which in turn was named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Colony of Virginia's first colonial-era governor.
Lewes is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 3,303. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delaware's rapidly growing Cape Region. The city lies within the Salisbury, Maryland–Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lewes proudly claims to be "The First Town in The First State."
Bridgeville is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population is 2,568. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Georgetown is a town and the county seat of Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade.
Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Patty Cannon, whose birth name may have been Lucretia Patricia Hanly, was an illegal slave trader, serial killer, and the co-leader of the Cannon–Johnson Gang of Maryland–Delaware. The group operated for about a decade in the early 19th century and abducted hundreds of free Black people and fugitive slaves, along the Delmarva Peninsula, across multiple state lines to sell into slavery in southern states such as Alabama and Mississippi. The activity became known as the Reverse Underground Railroad.
David Hazzard was an American merchant and politician from Milton, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, then the National Republican Party, and finally the Whig Party. He served in the Delaware General Assembly, as Governor of Delaware, and as an associate justice of the Delaware Superior Court.
The Delaware Governor's Mansion, also known as Woodburn or Governor's House, is the official residence of the governor of Delaware and the governor's family. It is located in Dover, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Governor's House" in 1972.
The Red Bank Battlefield is located along the Delaware River in National Park, Gloucester County, New Jersey. It was the location of the Battle of Red Bank in the American Revolutionary War on October 22, 1777. Fort Mercer and its sister, Fort Mifflin in Pennsylvania, defended the river and prevented the British from using it for transportation. The forts successfully delayed the British, but in the end, they were both destroyed or abandoned.
Reliance is an unincorporated community located on the border of the U.S. states of Maryland and Delaware. The Maryland side of the community has portions in Caroline and Dorchester counties, while the Delaware side is located within Sussex County. Reliance is along Delaware Route 20 and Maryland Route 392 at the junction with Maryland Route 577, west of Seaford. It was previously known as Johnson's Crossroads.
Woodland is an unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Woodland is located on the Nanticoke River, 3.8 miles (6.1 km) southwest of Seaford. Cannon's Ferry, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in Woodland and is also known as the Woodland Ferry.
The Building at High and Cannon Streets was a historic commercial building located at Seaford, Sussex County, Delaware. It was built about 1885 and was a two-story, ten-bay, flat-roofed frame structure sheathed in pressed tin and asphalt brick-like siding. The original showcase windows and recessed doorways revealed that the building was originally divided into several stores.
Maston House, also known as Cannon's Savannah, is a historic home located near Seaford, Sussex County, Delaware. It was built in 1727 and enlarged in 1733. It is a 1+1⁄2-story, single pile, brick structure with a gable roof in the "Resurrection Manor" style. As such, it resembles Maryland rather than Delaware houses. It has shed-roof dormers. The interior has wide floor boards and a narrow enclosed staircase winding around the chimney. It is one of Sussex County's oldest brick structures. A small frame addition from the 1970s is attached to the northern end.
Gov. William H. Ross House, also known as The Ross Mansion, is a historic home located near Seaford, Sussex County, Delaware. It was built in 1859, and is a two-story, brick mansion in three main connected blocks in an "H"-shape. It is in the Italianate style and features a three-story tower in the central space. The interior retains its original plaster mouldings, its Victorian trim, doors, and original inside shutters. It was the home of Delaware Governor William H. H. Ross (1814-1887), who built the home along the railroad he helped to establish.
Hearn and Rawlins Mill, also known as the Cannon and Ross Mill and Hearn Mill, is a historic grist mill complex located near Seaford, Sussex County, Delaware. It was built about 1880, on the site of a previous mill built in 1820. It is a water-powered mill with two overshot wheels installed in 1912. The mill and two associated warehouses are frame buildings, sheathed in metal, on brick footings. They are located on an earthen dam, rebuilt in 1912.
Flatbrookville is an unincorporated community located along Old Mine Road within Walpack Township, in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is named after the Flat Brook, a tributary of the Delaware River, which flows through the community. The area is now part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
The Old Mine Road Historic District is a 687-acre (278 ha) historic district located along Old Mine Road in Sussex County and Warren County, New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 3, 1980, for its significance in agriculture, archaeology, architecture, commerce, exploration/settlement, and transportation. It includes 24 contributing buildings and five contributing sites.
The Foster–Armstrong House is a historic house museum located at 320 River Road in Montague Township of Sussex County, New Jersey. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1970. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1979, for its significance in agriculture, architecture, commerce, and exploration/settlement. The house is now part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The museum is managed by the Montague Association for the Restoration of Community History.