The Terrible Catsafterme

We were starting to close in on nightfall on the evening of Sunday, June 14, 2009, as Bob and I crossed over the Delaware border during our week long road trip. This was my first time in our nation’s very first state (and second smallest) in the union. There were no Presidents from here, no Hard Rock Cafes, no ballparks, and no old long-lost friends for me to meet up with…but there was a State Capitol and that was where we were headed. However we made a couple of quick stops that night before we arrived at our final destination in Dover.

Luckily there were two graves that were in the vicinity of our path and were located in places that could be entered even at night. The first was the final resting place of John Dickinson, our first United States Constitution signer of the trip. Dickinson had served as both President of Delaware and President of Pennsylvania and had represented Delaware at the Constitutional Convention. The only signers whose graves I had previously visited were Presidents Washington and Madison.

He was located in the Friends Burial Ground, a churchyard in Wilmington, Delaware. Darkness was beginning to really descend so it was particularly fun to try and locate this grave which was small, understated, and looked just like all the others. Thankfully, the inscription hadn’t been worn off like most of the others.

The first United States Constitution Signer of the trip – John Dickinson in Wilmington

The second grave in Delaware was much easier to find – even in the dark. This one belonged to Gunning Bedford, Jr., another Delaware delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signer of the United States Constitution. He is now located near the entrance of the Masonic Home Cemetery in Christiana, Delaware, near Wilmington (having been relocated from the Presbyterian Cemetery in Wilmington).

United States Constitution Signer Gunning Bedford, Jr.

 We made it down to Dover that night and stayed in a comfortable Red Roof Inn. Up early the next morning, we had time to grab some of their continental breakfast (Mom would be proud) and arrive at the State Capitol when they opened at 8am. We took our pictures outside and then made our way inside and through security.

We were informed that they weren’t giving any tours until 10am, but that we could look around. Bob had an instant look of fear, praying that I wasn’t going to demand that we stay for the tour…but his fears were unfounded. I was happy as long as I got to look around inside. It was a bit humorous that in complete juxtaposition to the fancy and ornate Harrisburg State Capitol we had seen the day before, this State Capitol was nearly abandoned, open to browse, and of course tiny.

But still, this capitol had an interesting flavor – a real colonial appearance despite not being built until 1933. We had free reign in the Senate chamber, the House of Representatives chamber, and even the governor’s office – which the cleaning lady allowed us to enter!

Outide the capitol, with the Liberty and Independence statue – featuring the Delaware Continentals

Posing at the front before entering through the back

Addressing the Senate

The Senate

The tiny stairwell leading to the second floor of the capitol

Tablet dedicated to the memory of Delaware’s five signers of the Constitution

Tribute to the three signers of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware

Portraits of John Dickinson and George Read, both signers of important documents

Representing the House of Representatives

In the Governor’s office, thanks to the cleaning lady

Delaware, another fine state capitol under our belts

We spent about a half-hour in the Capitol and saw all that we wanted and needed to see. We then popped over to Constitution Park, which was located just down the street. I had been mildly curious to see the sculpture here, which was dedicated to the five signers of the U.S. Constitution who came from Delaware. The park was smaller then my yard, but the cube and feather sculpture were interesting.

Hangin’ in Constitution Park

Also nearby was the building that had been used as the old State House, which from 1792-1873, also served as the Kent County Courthouse at the same time. The legislature was relocated to the current capitol building in 1933. We didn’t go inside.

The old State House

Just a few blocks down the road was the Christ Episcopal Church. In the cemetery located adjacent to it is buried Caesar Rodney (1728-1784). Rodney was a Continental Congressman, the fourth ‘President’ of the state, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence signer Caesar Rodney

Our final stop of the day was at the Capitol Hotel, which sits on the location of the Golden Fleece Tavern. The Golden Fleece is referred to as the Birthplace of the First State. It was in here that government officials met and unanimously voted to ratify the Federal Constitution. This original building was built in the 1730’s and demolished around 1830 and replaced by the Capitol Hotel. It closed in the 1920s.

Birthplace of Delaware, our nation’s first state

It was only about 9:30am when we headed out of Dover. We had seen quite a bit in 90 minutes, but it was time to head north back to the Wilmington area, where we had stopped to see all we could (in the dark) the night before. About six miles south of Wilmington is the city of New Castle. We only planned to make a brief pit stop here to see another signer’s grave.

However, this little town proved to be so neat that we spent a over an hour here just roaming the town. New Castle had originally been settled in 1651 by a Dutch merchant company. It was also the landing site of William Penn, the eventual founder of Pennsylvania. New Castle was also the location of the first State Capitol of Delaware.

One of New Castle’s many claims to fame

Penn & feller

New cannon in New Castle

Buried in New Castle at the Immanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery is George Read (1733-1798), Continental Congressman, third ‘President’ of Delaware, and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence signer George Read

The cemetery where Richard Bassett (1745-1815) resided was in the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington. This was a large cemetery and had been closed the night before so we make our return here as we worked our way out of Delaware. Bassett was a signer of the United States Constitution. He had originally been buried in Maryland but was moved to the Bayard mausoleum (that of his son-in-law’s family). There was nothing indicating his name on this tomb (even the crypts visible through the cross-shape in the bricks did not indicate his name). However, a plaque was added to the vault in 1987.

United States Constitution signer Richard Bassett

And with that, we bid farewell to Delaware. It was a nice little state, as you are well aware, but one that could basically be seen before noon, which was about when we departed. Our next big destination was Atlantic City, but on the way, we would make two pit stops for a couple more graves. Don’t worry, it’s almost over.

John Morton (1725-1777) was buried in the St. Paul’s Burying Ground in Chester, Pennsylvania. Morton, who did not represent Delaware, played an interesting role as a signer of the Declaration of Independence – he was the swing vote that allowed Pennsylvania to vote in favor of it. He also chaired the committee that authored the Articles of Confederation. And finally he was the first Declaration signer to pass away.

Declaration of Independence signer John Morton

The final grave of the afternoon before we descended upon Atlantic City was that of Walt Whitman’s, located in the Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey. This one was purely Bob’s deal. As a teacher and lover of literature, he had a few famous writers’ graves to see on this trip. Whitman’s most famous work was Leaves of Grass, a poetry collection. While I happily obliged, this isn’t one that I would have sought out. Despite the size of this tomb, which we both climbed atop for photos, it wasn’t all that easy to find either.

On top of Walt Whitman

We left Walt Whitman about 1:30 that afternoon. It would take about 90 minutes to drive to Atlantic City.

The trip will continue…

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 6:37 am and is filed under 2000's - Late, Famous Graves, Historical Locations, Vacations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.