Lewes adds Great Marsh Park
Story Location:
Lewes, DE 19958
United States
Lewes is a city of parks both big and small, and it has just added a new one.
A 66-acre woodland area off Park Road near the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment is now known as Great Marsh Park. The land has been in the city's possession for about a decade, but it did not name the parcel. Lewes leases the land from the state, and to allow Lewes Unleashed to name its planned 4.5-acre dog park, state officials said the city must first name the larger parcel that surrounds it.
Mayor Ted Becker said 65 residents offered suggestions – some were funny, others honored people or history, and some played off nearby geographic landmarks. Geography resonated with council, as members chose Great Marsh Park as the unanimous winner.
Because the land is leased from the state, Becker said, he had concerns naming the park after a person.
“If for some reason the lease were to disappear, how would you feel if you were the individual or the family of the individual who all of a sudden had your name removed from the park?” he said.
The winner was one of many good suggestions. Councilman Rob Morgan said he was intrigued by a suggestion from former Mayor Jim Ford and his wife Teresa to honor a local Native American tribe. Through the help of local historian Hazel Brittingham and Lewes Historical Society Executive Director Mike DiPaolo, Morgan found that the local tribe was the Siconese. The local history of the tribe is told by C.A. Weslager in a monograph called "The Siconese Indians of Lewes, Delaware: A Historical Account of a 'Great' Bayside Lenape Tribe."
Councilwoman Bonnie Osler was concerned naming the park after a specific tribe could offend other tribes that were excluded. She also believed Great Marsh Park would be the easiest name to gain quick approval from the state.
Some residents supported honoring residents who worked to ensure the 66 acres were not developed, offering possible names as Citizens Park or People's Park. Other suggestions included Sewel Park – Lewes spelled backward – and Small Wonder Park.
