Saint Georges is an
unincorporated town
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
and former
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
situated on the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in
New Castle County
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...
,
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 Del ...
, United States, approximately midway between the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
and
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
.
History
St. Georges was settled before 1730 at the head of the St. Georges Creek. A tavern was built in 1735 and King's Highway was constructed through the settlement in 1762. St. Georges was incorporated as a town in 1825.
After being divided by the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and then bypassed by a newer bridge, the town asked to have their charter revoked by the state in 1940. The community has at least one civic association, the North Saint Georges Civic Association which represents the community to the New Castle County Council.
The
Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge
The Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge (originally the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge and also referred to as the Roth Bridge) is a concrete and steel cable-stayed bridge that spans the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal near St. Georges, Delaware. ...
(
Delaware Route 1
Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) is the longest numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from the Maryland state line in Fenwick Island, Sussex County, where the road continues south into that state as Maryland R ...
) passes just west of the community. It is the only
cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...
in the
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...
and one of the first in the nation. It opened in 1995 as a replacement to the still standing
St. Georges Bridge, which carries
U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to US 1 in the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville ...
over the community of St. Georges and the canal. The St. Georges Bridge is in turn a replacement for a former
lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck.
The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...
that sat in the middle of town. That bridge—built in 1923—was knocked down on January 10, 1939, by the 6,000-ton
freighter ''Waukegan''. The freighter lost control, hit the north tower of the bridge, and caused it to collapse. Two people died: the bridge tender and the bridge electrician. One other bridge spanned the C & D Canal before the lift bridge. It was a small pedestrian swing bridge that crossed over the former
Saint Georges Locks. It was destroyed when the locks were dismantled during the first widening and deepening (to sea level) of the canal.
Bloomfield, the
W. Casperson House,
Linden Hill,
Ethel S. Roy House,
St. Georges Cemetery Caretaker's House,
St. Georges Presbyterian Church
St. Georges Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian Church (building), church located on Main Street in St. Georges, Delaware, St. Georges, New Castle County, Delaware. It was built in 1844, and is a one-story, brick, temple form, Greek ...
,
Starl House,
Sutton House (St. Georges, Delaware), and the
North Saint Georges Historic District 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 v ...
.
The community is located in New Castle County District 12 and is represented to the
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...
by Councilman James W. (Bill) Bell.
Demographics
Education
Saint Georges is in the
Colonial School District.
It operates
William Penn High School.
See also
*
Ethel S. Roy House
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Georges, Delaware
Unincorporated communities in New Castle County, Delaware
Unincorporated communities in Delaware
Chesapeake & Delaware Canal