The Town of Felton, Delaware

Have you ever heard of the town of Felton, Delaware?  You have never heard of the town of Felton, Delaware?  The town is not a famous town.  If you had heard of this town, you are among a very few.  It is in the central part of the state.  What famous historic sites are here?  What great attractions are here?  It is not a town famous for its great attractions or history which is probably why very few people have ever heard of this town.

What is so great about this town?

That is a great question.  In case you are wondering, this town was established in 1856.  No, it is not named after Tom Felton, the famous actor from the Harry Potter movies.

If it is not named after Tom Felton, who is it named after?

Before we answer that question, let us talk about how this town even is in existence.  As mentioned, it was established in 1856.  How?  The town of Felton owes its existence to one thing: the railroad.  The Delaware Railroad was built, and the town was established as a whistle stop.  The lay out of the town had the rail line in the center with the town being equally divided by half a mile on each side.  The town was incorporated in 1861.  A train depot was built, and the town had normal passenger service.  It is named for Samuel Felton who was the President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad.  (He is also famous for using the railroad to thwart Abraham Lincoln’s first assassination attempt.)   Despite the town’s size, it became a booming town which sadly was short lived when a fire destroyed the town in 1930 and a slumping economy after the 1929 stock market crash.  It still had regular passenger service until the 1950’s.  The Passenger depot remains as a reminder of the railroad heritage.  Only freight trains pass by the depot today.

Now that you have heard of Felton, Delaware, you should drop by.  Pay the small town a visit.  Visit the depot.  See what the railroad can do.  It is just ten miles south of Dover on U.S. 13.  The town center is on Delaware Route 12 west of U.S. 13.  The old train station is just north of Delaware Route 12 from where it crosses the tracks.  (It is currently not open to the public.)