Let’s honor our storied history in Lewes

As the recent controversy over the menhaden fishnet reel continues to anger members of the Black community in Lewes, maybe it’s time to channel the spirit with which our former mayor, Otis Smith, worked to build both a solid economy and a culturally diverse society half a century ago.   

At a time when racial segregation was the law in Delaware, Smith quietly, but passionately, used his position as CEO of the Fish Products Company to help create a vibrant and productive community for all who called Lewes home.  

Truth is, the menhaden fish industry thrived under Smith’s leadership, thanks in large part to his belief that racial discrimination was immoral. Years before the Civil Rights Act officially ended segregation, Otis Smith hired hundreds of local Black men to work alongside local white men on the ships and in the factories. He also paid them well, and in return they gave their all to build what became the largest seafood port in America. Needless to say, Smith is still remembered and revered as a civil rights pioneer among the few “old-timers” left in Lewes.   

Of course, those days are long past, thanks to the rampant gentrification that has displaced a once economically and racially diverse community to attract affluent - and predominantly white - retirees  from surrounding states.  In creating this one-note community, we have lost sight of a storied history made rich by the many valuable contributions of hardworking everyday people, such as those who helped Smith build a booming industry.  

In fact, the only Lewes history many of these newcomers know is the whitewashed version they’ve heard from the gentrifiers who are making their own fortunes in the process.  So, while extolling the tales of Dutch settlers, their version has neglected to mention that during colonial times, the Black population in Lewes was both significant and mostly free.  

Then there is the story of master shipbuilders, Cato and Peter Lewis, free Black residents who ran a prosperous shipyard off Pilottown Road, along with evidence that our town played an important role as an Underground Railroad stop.  There is also little recognition that the Happy Day Club was once a major draw for big-name entertainers like Duke Ellington; not to mention that the Shipcarpenter Square development was erected on the former site of the Black community’s ballfield.     

It should come as no surprise then that the fishnet reel symbolizes something worth fighting for, as the last real artifact of this town’s Black history and culture. On top of that, in its new location on the Lewes Historical Society campus, it was to be a featured stop on the African American History Tour, a joint project with the African American Heritage Commission. 

Now we learn that after homeowners in the gentrified neighborhoods surrounding the campus bombarded the city with complaints, the reel must be removed - a decision that begs more than a few questions. For one thing, why did our city leadership suddenly insist on a permit when it had never before required approval for work done on the historical society campus?

For another, why are these homeowners the only voices being heard in this process?  Was the African American Heritage Commission even asked to weigh in on a major decision that seems to be within its purview?  And if this is the only net reel still in existence, shouldn’t we make every effort to preserve it within a complex that is home to other historic structures?  

So what would Otis Smith do if he were still the mayor of Lewes?  I have to believe he would use his inestimable power of persuasion to keep this rare artifact right where it is, as a prominent reminder of those everyday people - of all colors - who helped him fuel this town’s economic engine for years. That said, I urge this city and its residents to honor their contributions, by following his principled lead.