HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bridgeville is a town in Sussex County,
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population is 2,568. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.


History

The town of Bridgeville is the oldest community in western Sussex County. Records of land transactions which were made in the first quarter of the 18th century suggest that a significant agricultural community already existed in the area by that period. A small group of houses had been built along the present Main Street by the turn of the 19th century; this settlement was known as "Bridge Branch" for the nearby stream, which was crossed by a bridge as early as 1730. By 1804, the community had grown sufficiently to merit the establishment of a post office. The village was formally recognized in 1810, when an Act of the Assembly was passed to establish its name as "Bridgeville". Early 19th century industries included a water-powered mill, tanyard, charcoal furnace, and fruit-drying business. The growth of the town accelerated greatly upon the arrival of the
Delaware Railroad The Delaware Railroad Company (DRC) was a railroad company that operated in the US state of Delaware from the mid-1850s until 1976, during which time it was the largest in the state. Its original main line began in Bear, Delaware and extended sout ...
in Bridgeville in 1856. The town was subsequently laid out for development by William Cannon (1809-1865). Bridgeville's population was 613 in 1900. Bridgeville was named for a bridge that was built in 1730 that was located over a tributary of the Nanticoke River. The Bridgeville Historic District, Bridgeville Public Library, Old Bridgeville Fire House, and Sudler House are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. A number of buildings in the surrounding rural areas are also listed including Eratt House, Ricards House-Linden Hall, Scott's Store, and Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church.


Transportation

Roads are the main means of transport to and from Bridgeville. U.S. Route 13 (Sussex Highway) is the primary north-south highway serving the town, connecting northward to
Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast 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 southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
and southward to
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
. Delaware Route 404 is the main east-west highway serving Bridgeville, heading east towards Georgetown and west towards
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
. The two roads are concurrent for part of their route through Bridgeville as they both bypass the center of town to the north and east. U.S. Route 13 Business and Delaware Route 404 Business follow their respective original alignments through the center of 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 al ...
operates the Route 212 bus that connects Bridgeville 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 Ha ...
's Delmarva Subdivision line passes north-south through Bridgeville.


Geography

Bridgeville is located at (38.7426137, –75.6043714). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of which is land.


Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 1,436 people, 570 households, and 381 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 636 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 55.85% White, 31.55% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 8.91% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.64%. Of the 570 households 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.4% of households were one person and 12.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. The age distribution was 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median household income was $26,579 and the median family income was $30,083. Males had a median income of $25,536 versus $20,298 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,965. About 24.9% of families and 27.4% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 42.5% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Most of Bridgeville is situated in the Woodbridge School District, while a small portion is in the Seaford School District. The Woodbridge district's high school is Woodbridge High School and the Seaford district's high school is Seaford Senior High School.


Arts and culture

Bridgeville is home to the Apple Scrapple Festival and was formerly home to the World Championship Punkin Chunkin.


Notable people

* Thurman Adams Jr., Democratic member of the Delaware Senate; born in Bridgeville * William F. Allen, Democratic member of the
Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legi ...
and the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
; born in Bridgeville * Philip L. Cannon, first Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (1901–1905) and son of William Cannon; born in Bridgeville * William Cannon, served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware during much of the Civil War; born in Bridgeville * Peter F. Causey, Governor of Delaware from 1855 to 1859 * Edward Willis Redfield, impressionist painter


References


External links


Town of Bridgeville website
{{authority control * Salisbury metropolitan area Towns in Delaware Towns in Sussex County, Delaware