Dagsboro

Settled at the site of a grist mill on Pepper Creek, this village was originally known as Blackfoot Town. The present name of the community is derived from that of John Dagworthy. A New Jersey native who moved to this area in the mid-18th century, he was awarded a considerable portion of the Great Cypress Swamp by Maryland officials for his service in the French and Indian War. He became one of the largest landowners on the Delmarva Peninsula and achieved considerable success through the export of timber products. The surrounding hundred, or geographic subdivision in which this community lies, was named in his honor following the settlement of the boundary dispute between Maryland and Delaware in 1774. Dagworthy was a member of the Sussex County Committee of Safety during the American Revolution, and a Brigadier General in the Delaware Militia. A member of Prince George’s Chapel, he was buried there at his death in 1784. This was the birthplace of John Middleton Clayton (1796-1856), a United States Senator and Secretary of State under President Zachary Taylor. The town of Dagsboro was formally incorporated in 1899.