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1906 Map of Wilmington

Name: 1906 Topographic Map of Wilmington
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1915
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1915

About this map

Industrial and maritime activity defines the northern Delaware landscape in this early twentieth-century survey. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal provides a critical navigable link between the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay, featuring a clear Towpath along its northern bank. The coastal defense network is prominent at the river's bend, where Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Id and Fort Dupont guard the channel. To the north, the urban expansion of Elsmere and Marshallton is driven by a dense network of transit, including the Baltimore and Ohio RR and several electric rail lines.

Rural crossroads such as Coochs Bridge and Milford Crossroads anchor the agricultural interior, while family-named landmarks like Choate and Ruthby dot the corridors between Newark and the river. The complex drainage of White Clay Creek and Red Lion Creek flows through a landscape still heavily influenced by tidal marshes, most notably the Cherry Island Marsh and the flats surrounding Reedy Island. This map documents a period when local travel relied on both the historical Washington and Baltimore Road and the rapidly developing rail infrastructure.