HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Laurel is a town in
Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County is located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 237,378. The county seat is Georgetown. The first European settlement in the state of Delaware ...
, United States. The population was 3,708 at the time of the 2010 census. Laurel is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. It once hosted the Laurel Blue Hens of the
Eastern Shore Baseball League The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were no ...
.


History

The site of the town of Laurel was a Nanticoke Indian settlement known as Broad Creek Town during most of the eighteenth century. Its Nanticoke name is unknown. The Indian settlement was created on tracts known as Bachelor's Delight and Greenland in 1711 when the government of
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
, who originally claimed this part of Delaware, set aside land for the Nanticoke Indians. Nearly all the Indian settlers left within 50 years, relocating to western
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. The present town was laid out along the Broad Creek in the 1790s and was named for the laurel bushes that grew alongside the creek. The Chipman Potato House,
Chipman's Mill Chipman's Mill was located near Laurel, Delaware, and is now the name of a Delaware State Park which encompasses the mill pond, including a boat ramp for fishing (now the primary activity). Chipman's Mill functioned into the late 1940s. Arson dest ...
, Collins Potato House, Hearn Potato House, E. L. Hitch Potato House, Laurel Historic District, Moore Potato House, Old Christ Church, Phillips Potato House, Ralph Potato House, Rider Potato House, Ross Point School, Spring Garden, Stanley Potato House, and Wright Potato House are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. On March 29, 1929, the town was merged with the neighboring town of North Laurel which comprised most of the current town north of Broad Creek (then known as Laurel River). This merger was not properly reported to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, which resulted in the North Laurel's population not being included with the population of Laurel in the
1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated durin ...
. As such, the US Census Bureau did not immediately make a change to the 1930 population statistics once the error was discovered, however it acknowledged in 1940 that the correct population for Laurel in 1930 was 2,542. West Laurel is one of Delaware's oldest free black communities. According to the Delaware Historical Society, West Laurel dates back to the 1790s. At some point in the 1870s Captain Theodore Marsh settled in West Laurel, brought property, broke the property down into plots and sold them to his shipmates. The graveyard for New Zion United Methodist church in West Laurel, which has been around since the early 1800s is the resting place of Marsh and his shipmates.


Transportation

Roads are the primary means of travel to and from Laurel. U.S. Route 13 (Sussex Highway) is the most significant highway serving the town, connecting northwards towards
Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...
and southward to
Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
.
U.S. Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...
also serves Laurel, heading northeastward from its terminus at US 13 toward Georgetown along County Seay Highway.
Delaware Route 24 Delaware Route 24 (DE 24) is a state highway located in Sussex County, Delaware. The route runs from Maryland Route 348 (MD 348) at the Maryland border east of Sharptown, Maryland, east to an intersection with DE 1 i ...
is the third numbered route to serve the town, traversing the region on an east-west alignment through the center of the town.
DART First State The Delaware Transit Corporation, operating as DART First State, is the only public transportation system that operates throughout the U.S. state of Delaware. DART First State provides local and inter-county bus service throughout the state and ...
operates the Route 212 bus that connects Laurel with Delmar and Georgetown. The
Delmarva Central Railroad The Delmarva Central Railroad is an American short-line railroad owned by Carload Express that operates of track on the Delmarva Peninsula in the states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The railroad operates lines from Porter, Delaware to Hal ...
's Delmarva Subdivision line passes north-south through Laurel.


Geography

Laurel is located on the
Atlantic Coastal Plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...
in southwestern Delaware at (38.5565041, −75.5713141). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (4.07%) is water.


Demographics

957 families, 1,389 households, 3,668 people reside in the town. The population density was . There were 1,561 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 55.56%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 39.42%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.35% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 1.20% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.48% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population. There were 1,389 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 26.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.19. In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 33.2% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,321, and the median income for a family was $30,329. Males had a median income of $28,006 versus $18,550 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,594. About 18.7% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.


Education

It is within the Laurel School District. Laurel High School is the local high school.


Sports

On August 13, 2011, the District 3 All-Stars from Laurel won the Senior League Softball World Series for
Little League Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationPuerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
in the championship game by a score of 2–0. The Laurel High School Bulldogs have won three Division 2 State Football Championships in 1986, 1987,1991 and in 2021 the Bulldogs won the 1A State Championship. The Laurel Blue Hens were a member of the minor league
Eastern Shore League The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were no ...
in 1922 and 1923, playing at League Park.


Notable people

*
Mark Briscoe Mark Pugh (born January 18, 1985) is an American professional wrestler best known as Mark Briscoe. He is currently signed with Ring of Honor, where he is the current one-half of ROH World Tag Team Champions with Jay Briscoe in their thirtee ...
,
Professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
*
Jay Briscoe Jamin "Jay" Pugh (born January 25, 1984) is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Jay Briscoe. He is currently signed with Ring of Honor, where he is the current one-half of ROH World Tag Team Champions with Mark Briscoe ...
,
Professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
* Bert Carvel, former Governor of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...
* John Collins, former governor of Delaware (1821–1825) * William B. Cooper, former governor of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...
*
Timothy Dukes Timothy D. Dukes (born September 30, 1964) is an American politician. He is a Republican member of the Delaware House of Representatives, representing District 40. He was elected in 2012 after the retirement of Republican Clifford Lee. Electora ...
, Republican member of the
Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...
*
Carlton Elliott Carlton Elliott (November 12, 1927 – July 18, 2005) was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). Biography Elliott was born Carlton Batt Elliott Jr. on November 12, 1927 in Laurel, Delaware. Career Elliott was drafted by the Gree ...
, former NFL player * Alex Ellis, current NFL player *
Dallas Marvil Joshua Dallas "Dal" Marvil (October 24, 1910 – March 12, 1977)Ancestry.com. Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998 atabase on-line Joshua Dallas Marvil, born 24 Oct 1910 in Delaware, died 12 March 1977 in Broward, FL. Mother's maiden name: Yingling. w ...
, All-American football player, 1931 * Joshua H. Marvil, former governor of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...
*
Nathaniel Mitchell Nathaniel Mitchell (1753 – February 21, 1814) was an American lawyer and politician from Laurel, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Delaware, ...
, former governor of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...
(1805–1808), Member of the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
* Ron Waller, former NFL player and coach


Media

* Laurel Star (weekly local newspaper published by Morning Star Publications) * Leader & State Register (weekly local newspaper published by Independent Newspapers Inc.) * The News Journal (statewide daily newspaper published by Gannett Co.) * Delaware State News (southern Delaware daily newspaper published by Independent Newspapers Inc.) *
WBOC-TV WBOC-TV (channel 16) is a television station in Salisbury, Maryland, United States, affiliated with CBS and Fox. It is the flagship television property of the Milton, Delaware–based Draper Holdings Business Trust, and is co-owned with l ...
(Channel 16, CBS Affiliate) has its broadcast tower located in Laurel. * FOX 21 (Channel 21, FOX Affiliate) has its broadcast tower located in Laurel. *
WMDT WMDT (channel 47) is a television station in Salisbury, Maryland, United States, affiliated with ABC and The CW Plus. It is the flagship television property of locally based Marquee Broadcasting, and has common ownership with low-power Azteca ...
(Channel 47, ABC Affiliate) *
WKDB WKDB (95.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countri ...
(95.3FM known as "Studio 95.3")


References


External links


Official Website of the Town of LaurelLaurel Chamber of CommerceLaurel (Delaware) Historical Society
{{Authority control Towns in Sussex County, Delaware Towns in Delaware Salisbury metropolitan area