Pettijohn’s Old Field

Pettijohn’s Old Field is a Delaware historical marker in Georgetown, Sussex County, dedicated 1990.

Sussex County · dedicated 1990 · 39 The Circle, Georgetown

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The future home of Sussex County’s seat of government was a sparsely populated rural area when the 76 acres which would become the Town of Georgetown were purchased on May 9, 1791. Located “near the centre” of the country at a place known as “James Pettijohn’s Old Field,” the land was surveyed by Rhoads Shankland, who divided it into lots which were sold to defray costs associated with the establishment of the town. The most prominent feature of his design was this Public Square, known today as The Circle.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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Source: State of Delaware Historical Markers Program, administered by the Delaware Public Archives.
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