Blades

History: A Town Called Blades

The Town of Blades is one of Sussex County’s last incorporated areas — but in point of time, the town itself is possibly as old as its sister community–Seaford. In the early years of this century, when Concord to the East was developing as a village, this area which is now Blades had become sparsely settled with farmers. The soil was sandy and the shoreline was marshy. The early farmers chose to clear the land a mile or so back from the river. Trade was attracted to stores at Concord and at Laurel. In 1832 Samuel Laws, Jacob Wright, Henry Cannon, Henry Little, Dr. John Gibbons and Curtis Ross were authorized by an Act of the State Legislature to build a bridge from Seaford to the South bank of the Nanticoke River. This 1st bridge — which was a toll crossing — proved to be unsuccessful; and in 1843 Capt. […]