House for sale on Lewes Beach has interesting history

A few months ago, a local Realtor had an ad in the Gazette about an open house for a small cottage for sale on Lewes Beach. Similar to a house for sale in Milton that I wrote about at the end of last year, the ad caught my attention because the house has an interesting history.

At first blush, someone might think it’s just an old beach cottage. However, according to the real estate listing found online, the one-story, two-bedroom, two-bath cinder block house located on Midland Avenue was built in 1941 and is one of the original barracks houses used by soldiers serving at Fort Miles in what is now Cape Henlopen State Park.

The ad included a note from the seller, who said their grandfather purchased the cottage in the 1940s: “Growing up, this house represented quintessential summer beach life: lazy days on the beach, fishing and crabbing on the docks, and a short walk into town for ice cream.” Other than the lack of central air conditioning, that sounds splendid (more on that below).

Unlike the stately old house in Milton, which has connections to President George Washington, I don’t imagine this cottage will be saved once it’s sold. The type of person who can afford to buy a cottage like this can also afford to have it demolished in favor of a new, multi-story structure with modern amenities.

The demolition of old buildings is a fact of life around here. I just thought it was important to recognize its history before it’s gone.

Large farm equipment

With all the development taking place around here, it’s sometimes hard to remember that there are still farms east of Route 1. Not many, but some.

I was reminded of that the other day when I came across a tractor, with its boom sprayer folded up along its sides, chugging along Route 1 northbound. Behind the tractor was a flatbed truck with two large containers of the liquid that was about to be sprayed.

I came up on the tractor and its support truck near Home Depot as I was heading back to the office. Traffic had slowed and I thought I was about to see a traffic accident. Fortunately, I didn’t. The tractor followed me onto Route 9 westbound, so I took a picture of it taking up both lanes while we sat at a red light.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already into August. It means kids will be heading back to school soon, but it also these tractors and their support vehicles will be on our roads soon too. Mainly, this is just a reminder to be prepared to give them the space they need.

Joke of the Week:

As promised from above – it’s been hot and humid the past few weeks, which means it’s sweat-rag-at-all-times-season for me. The main culprit is the humidity, so here’s a joke on the subject. As always, send jokes to cflood@capegazette.com.

Q: What do you call it when the humidity is at 100% but it’s not raining?

A: A mist opportunity.