1918 Map of Rehoboth

About this map

The coastal landscapes of Sussex County are captured here just after the First World War, revealing a region defined by intricate tidal inlets and rural school districts. Broad estuaries like Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay dominate the center of the sheet, framed by numerous family-named necks of land such as Indian River Neck and Champlin Neck. The settlement pattern is markedly agrarian, with small communities like Angola and Clarksville connected by early roads, while the Lewes and Georgetown railroad cuts through the northwestern corner near Jimtown. Local life is anchored by a dense network of country schoolhouses, including the Sunshine School and Antioch School. Along the coast, Coast Guard stations monitor the shoreline from Dewey Beach down to Bethany Beach, marking the early era of maritime safety before the heavy development of the Atlantic resorts.