Viking Gazette

Big Sussex has deep roots in Sussex County.

Company owner Rob Jennings’ roots date back to the late 1700s, with many members of his family living in the county for decades. A Jennings family reunion would fill an auditorium.

Jennings, who is better known as a computer technician at Cape Henlopen School District, started the Big Sussex local garment company nearly two years ago.

Based on the success of several local 302-related companies, Jennings came up with the idea to base his business...

Repairs and renovation of the cupola on the Sussex County Courthouse have been completed.

There were some materials delayed, which took a little longer than expected, said Jennifer Coverdale, director of the state’s facility and management office. The delays pushed the construction deadline back four months.

The historic cupola was raised back to its original position Oct. 20, after being taken down in early May.

It currently sits on the The Circle in downtown Georgetown, where it has been for more than 180...

So, what makes Sussex County – particularly the beach resort area – so appealing for people to move here? It’s become known as a “best place to retire.”

If you talk to retirees who have recently moved to Sussex, they will tell you they like the beach vibe, and it doesn’t hurt that the county has extremely low property taxes and no sales tax.

Many pay per year in in property taxes what they paid a month in their previous hometowns.

The average...

Soybean Sussex and Sandy Sussex.

Sussex County really is a tale of two counties, with Georgetown acting as the dividing line, sort of.

Go north, west or south of Georgetown to find a Sussex County far removed from the hustle and bustle of the eastern side.

The eastern part has rapid development, high housing costs, at times gridlock traffic, huge outlets and stores, entertainment, the famous Boardwalk, restaurants and, of course, the beaches. That’s what all the newbies come for.

In the west, you...

It’s a chapter of county history that needs to be told and retold so we never forget how terrible segregation was.

Schools in Sussex County weren’t integrated until 1962 after the separate-but-equal education law was found unconstitutional in 1954. Thanks to the du Pont Experiment, African American children had their own country schools throughout the county, but were forced to go upstate to get a high school education until 1950....

I’m going down a rabbit hole this week. I knew when I started researching old churches in Sussex County that it would be an almost impossible task.

There is so much church history in the county that one column can’t possibly cover it all.

Trust me, what follows is only a sampling.

Some churches have roots that go back to the 18th century and even the late 17th century, but the original church building no longer exists.

Many churches are on the same site...

I’ve always been fascinated by the little-known snippets of Sussex County’s history.

One of the nation’s first serial killers terrorized runaway slaves in western Sussex, and the first German U-boat to surrender at the end of World War II did so in Lewes at Fort Miles.

Daring escape – Harriet Tubman of Underground Railroad fame has a connection to Sussex County. In 1856, she organized one of her most clever and complicated escape attempts. Tubman became familiar with a slave named Tilly...

Call me strange, but one of my favorite photography assignments is extreme weather.

I guess I should have been a storm chaser, because I like to get out there in the middle of the fracas to take photos.

I’ve photographed dozens of nor’easters. I went for a bumpy plane ride following Superstorm Sandy to take photos of the aftermath, including a closed Indian River Inlet bridge and breaches at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, which resulted in the destruction of thousands of...