Delaware Facts

Everything you wanted 
to know about Delaware

...and then some!



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When did Delaware become a state? Delaware became a state on December 7, 1787 - it was the first to
ratify the U.S. Constitution - making Delaware the First State!
State Bird
Soldiers_bluehen.gif (120136 bytes)

 

The Blue Hen Chicken, a fighting game cock, was the mascot of Delaware's Revolutionary War soldiers and was named the state bird in February, 1939.

 

Picture on left from The Sons 
of Delaware 1901 Banquet Program
(click on picture for a better view)

State Bug
Ladybug.  

Adopted April 25, 1974, after school children petitioned the General Assembly.
State Capital
Dover 

The first capital of Delaware was New Castle, it was moved to Dover in 1777. 
State Colors Colonial blue and buff
Counties
New Castle


Kent - center of Delaware, 11 miles south of the capital, Dover

 

Sussex - the largest county, measuring 950 square miles.
State Drink
State Fish

Weak fish (Cynoscion regalis)  Also know as the sea trout, gray trout, yellow mouth, yellow fin trout, squeteague or tiderunner.  It was adopted in 1981 in recognition of sport fishing's recreational and economic standing in Deaware.

State Flag
Delaware adopted the current state flag on July 24, 1913.  The state seal is enclosed in a buff diamond on a colonial blue background.  Below the diamond is printed "December 1787," the date that Delaware ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the first state.
State Flower
Peach Blossom - prunus persica

Adopted May 9, 1895, after farmers and schoolchildren petitioned the General Assembly.  Beginning in the early 1800s, Delaware became the leading producer of peaches until a blight called "the yellows" destroyed the orchards in the late 1800s.

 
State
Fossil		 Belemnitella americana (ancestors of the modern squid).
George Washington in Delaware
Governor
Jack
Markell
What about Delaware's government? Delaware's government consists of the General Assembly, comprised of a Senate and a House of Representatives, the Governor, and the judiciary.
Who's in
our State Government
State Mineral Sillimanite - adopted on March 24, 1977.
State Motto "Liberty and Independence"
How did Delaware get it's name?
In 1610 explorer Samuel Argall named the Delaware River and Bay for the governor of Virginia, Thomas West,  Lord De La Warr.  The state of Delaware takes its name from the river and bay.

 

Photo from the
A.N. Sanborn Collection
Nicknames




 First State - first state to ratify the Constitution.

Diamond State - Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson called Delaware a "jewel" among the states because of it's strategic location along the East Coast. 

Blue Hen State - One form of entertainment during the Revolutionary War for Delaware militia was cock fighting.  It was so popular, Delaware soldiers brought their own Blue Hens along with them during their stay in the army.  The Blue Hen was noted for its fighting ability, and because of their bravery, the men of Captain Jonathan Caldwell's company were soon compared to this breed. 

Chemical Capital

Corporate Capital

Small Wonder 

Home of Tax Free Shopping

Peach State - The first state to produce peaches commercially.
Physical
Traits
Area: 2,044 Square Miles
Length: 96 Miles
Width: 39 miles		 Highest Elevation: 442 above
sea level - www.americasroof.com/de.html
Lowest Elevation: sea level
  Most of Delaware is on the Atlantic coastal plain.  The northern part of the state
is on the Piedmont plateau, a hilly area between the Appalachian Mountains and
the Atlantic coastal plain.  The dividing line runs east-west between the cities of
Wilmington and Newark.
Signers of Declaration of Independence and
United States Constitution
from Delaware

 

  

 

Our State Seal
This image is from a 19th century commemorative ribbon.  The three dates on Delaware's state seal - 1793, 1847, and 1907 are the years minor changes were made to the design of the seal.  The current seal reflects the final changes made in 1907.
State Song Our Delaware - Written by George B. Hynson (words) and William M.S. Brown (music), published, 1906.  It became the state song in 1925 by an act of the General Assembly.  The fourth verse was written by Donn Devine in a 1960 competition authorized by the General Assembly to add a fourth statewide verse to the ones for each county.
State Tree
American Holly (Ilex opacca Aiton)
Adopted by Act of the General Assembly and Governor on May 1, 1939.  During the late nineteenth century until the 1930s Sussex county became the leading producer of holly used for Christmas decorations and wreaths.
Weather
Delawareans delight in four distinct weather seasons. Click on the picture at the left to check today's weather conditions.
Who? The first known inhabitants of Delaware were two tribes of Native Americans,
the Lenni Lenape and the Nanticoke.
  We'll be adding more facts...but you can e-mail us with your suggestions at deinfo@dehistory.org

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