A magazine article about Lewes in 1877
Here’s one we roll out every few years because it’s so cool. It shows a woodcut print from Harper’s Weekly’s Sept. 29, 1877 edition titled “CROKER FISHING IN THE DELAWARE.”
Information with the woodcut says: “Early in August, the inhabitants of the little town of Lewes, which lies on the beautiful Delaware Bay, turn out in force for the business of ‘croker’ fishing. The first thing is to drive stakes in the water at some distance from the shore. On these stakes long nets are stretched, and allowed to hang for several hours. Then they are drawn in, sometimes bringing in a catch of over 300 ‘crokers’ varying from eight to ten inches in length. This fish bears some resemblance to the porgy, and is very palatable. During the months of August and September, when ‘crokers’ are most plentiful in Delaware Bay, this fishery constitutes the main business of the people of that region, and no meal is complete without its dish of ‘crokers.’ Lewes is situated opposite the Delaware Breakwater, about two miles inside of Cape Henlopen. The inhabitants are mostly fishermen - salty and tarry toilers of the sea; and the town will probably always remain quiet and old-fashioned.”
In the background, a train of the Queen Anne Railroad steams onto the Queen Anne Pier to meet an incoming schooner.
