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Directory:Long Neck, Delaware (view source)
Revision as of 20:36, 15 February 2010
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==Geography==
==Geography==
Long Neck is located at (38.618874, -75.149963). Tall loblolly pines jut out of white sandy soil. The eponymous peninsula pokes eastward, splitting [[Rehoboth Bay]] to the north from the [[Indian River Bay]] to the south.
The Long Neck area extends east-northeast from the town of [[Directory:Millsboro, Delaware|Millsboro]], Delaware, for about seven miles. Tall loblolly pines jut out of white sandy soil, between corn fields and various housing developments. The eponymous peninsula pokes eastward, splitting [[Rehoboth Bay]] to the north from the [[Indian River Bay]] to the south.
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²) of it is land and 0.40% is water.
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²) of it is land and 0.40% is water. However, the area considered "Long Neck" by locals is larger than the official Census allocation, perhaps 20 km².
==History==
===Pre-history===
Archeological evidence points to human habitation on the Delmarva Peninsula as early as the [[Pleistocene Era]], about 10,000 years ago. Most of the land north of Delaware was covered in ice, and the footprint of the [[Chesapeake Bay]] had not yet been established. The Nanticoke Indian Tribe has had a significant impact on the Long Neck area, and they first encountered Europeans along the Kuskarawaok River (later named "Nanticoke" River), in the western part of the county. Heading up this European expedition was none other than Captain [[John Smith]], searching for the fabled [[Northwest Passage]]. Smith's vessel was greeting with airborne arrows, so Smith anchored midstream out of reach of the arrows, until he could convince the Nanticoke of his peaceful intentions and head upstream. Other tribes in the area included the Conoy, Piscataway, Lenape, Powhaten, Susquehannock, and Shawnee.
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==History==
===European settlement===
In 1642, and subsequent times later, the Nanticokes and white settlers in the [[Directory:Maryland|Maryland]] province waged full-scale war on each other. Peace would come in the form of a treaty only in 1668, but even that lasted only one year.
In 1643, the Burton family originally landed in [[Directory:Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Directory:Virginia|Virginia]], around the Accomac area, then eventually came to Long Neck. The family endeavored to farm the marshy land, impressed with its relative elevation above sea level, so close to the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
In 1643, the Burton family originally landed in [[Directory:Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Directory:Virginia|Virginia]], around the Accomac area, then eventually came to Long Neck. The family endeavored to farm the marshy land, impressed with its relative elevation above sea level, so close to the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
The area described encompasses about 5,000 acres, but the deed incorrectly referred to it as 1,000. One of the Burton sons, Woolsey, constructed a house in an area that now bears the building's name, White House Beach. The house remains occupied today.
The area described encompasses about 5,000 acres, but the deed incorrectly referred to it as 1,000. One of the Burton sons, Woolsey, constructed a house in an area that now bears the building's name, White House Beach. The house remains occupied today.
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Up through the early 1700s, life worsened for the Nanticoke of Maryland as more of their land was taken. Following the [[French and Indian War]] and the [[Revolutionary War]], most of the Nanticoke had relocated north to [[Directory:Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]], but a significant number moved eastward into what would become Delaware, settling near the Indian River.
In 1881, the Nanticoke community formed a corporation to combat segregation laws in place at the time. In 1904, the Delaware legislature passed an "Act to Better Establish the Identity of a Race of People Known as the Offspring of the Nanticoke Indians", and the tribe was legally recognized within the state.
===20th century===
By the 1900s, the sandy trail that would become Long Neck Road was home to several churches and schools. Oak Orchard resident Aubrey Murray recalls his early memories of the Long Neck area, circa 1920, "There were farms from one end to the other. Oh, there were fishermen and clammers... Occasionally, a group would meet near Massey's Landing and have a big fish fry. But all in all, it was a sleepy area a long way from anywhere. A slew of anthropologists and historians made their way to Sussex County, since Native American tribes in the eastern part of the country were practically unheard of. Most notably, a man named Frank Speck befriended an older Nanticoke man, William Russell Clark, who taught Speck the tribe's history and traditional customs. With Speck's assistance, Clark formed the Nanticoke Indian Association in 1922. Soon after, Clark and Speck organized the first of many Nanticoke ''powwow'' gatherings, to help spread the tribe's history to younger-generation descendants.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Long Neck retained its sleepy character, but the agrarian economy began to see some diversification. Some residents went to sea on tug boats or sailing ships operating out of [[Directory:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] or [[Directory:New York City, New York|New York City]]. Many smaller vessels carrying potatoes, lumber, and grain began heading out the old Indian River Inlet to bigger markets along the Eastern Seaboard. In fact, the iron used in the Philadelphia Eastern Penitentiary was forged in nearby [[Directory:Millsboro, Delaware|Millsboro]] at the head of the Indian River Bay.
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In the 1960s, a [[Directory:Nanticoke, Maryland|Nanticoke]], [[Directory:Maryland|Maryland]] oyster plant owner named Palmer purchased a commercial corner on Long Neck Road to be called Palmer Center. Palmer's daughter, Janie Palmer Miller, opened the Long Neck Dispensary in 1969, the area's first package store. Today the center is home to 13 different businesses.
For most of the second half of the 20th century, the area of Long Neck was sparsely populated, except for several [[mobile home]] communities that served mostly as summer [[vacation property|vacation properties]] for permanent residents of the [[Directory:Washington, DC|Washington, DC]], [[Directory:Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]], [[Directory:Maryland|Maryland]], [[Directory:Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]], [[Directory:Delaware|Delaware]], and [[Directory:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Directory:Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]] metropolitan areas. However, in the late 1990s, more permanent, year-round communities began being built, such as the neighborhood surrounding the golf course at [[Directory:Baywood Greens|Baywood Greens]], and The Peninsula, which is being developed by golf legend [[Directory:Jack Nicklaus|Jack Nicklaus]]. Long Neck is now seeing unprecedented growth in permanent residents.
For most of the second half of the 20th century, the area of Long Neck was sparsely populated, except for several [[mobile home]] communities that served mostly as summer [[vacation property|vacation properties]] for permanent residents of the [[Directory:Washington, DC|Washington, DC]], [[Directory:Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]], [[Directory:Maryland|Maryland]], [[Directory:Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]], [[Directory:Delaware|Delaware]], and [[Directory:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Directory:Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]] metropolitan areas. However, in the late 1990s, more permanent, year-round communities began being built, such as the neighborhood surrounding the golf course at [[Directory:Baywood Greens|Baywood Greens]], and The Peninsula, which is being developed by golf legend [[Directory:Jack Nicklaus|Jack Nicklaus]]. Long Neck is now seeing unprecedented growth in permanent residents.
====White House Beach====
Sam Showell and his three sons are direct decendants of the Burton family that originally settled Long Neck, and they started up one of the area's first coastal communities, White House Beach.
==Demographics==
As of the [[census]] of 2000, there were 1,629 people, 817 households, and 545 families residing in the CDP. The [[population density]] was 655.0 people per square mile (252.6/km²). There were 1,807 housing units at an average density of 726.6/sq mi (280.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.28% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.43% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.25% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.06% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.37% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.61% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.49% of the population.
There were 817 households out of which 10.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.38.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 10.4% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 13.6% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 40.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,688, and the median income for a family was $47,917. Males had a median income of $27,117 versus $30,179 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $25,172. About 6.3% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including none of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
==Things to do==
Long Neck may not have any of the thrills and bustle of an amusement park or the big city, but there is plenty here to entertain.
===Dining out===
Any traveler to Long Neck would be making a big mistake not to visit the [[Directory:Georgia House|Georgia House Restaurant]] in Millsboro.
===Nanticoke powwow===
The Nanticoke powwow that began in the 1920s has become a continuing series of gatherings. Thousands of spectators follow a trail in to the woods, just off Route 24 on the western part of Long Neck, and enter a very different world. Naturally, it is not entirely without its commercial trappings: food and clothing vendors sell all manner of t-shirts, rugs, pictures, and other memorabilia.
At the center of the event, however, it is unmistakeably old-school. A circle of drummers sits off to the side, keeping the beat of traditional songs. In the middle of the powwow ring, dancers recreate the same steps as their distance relatives once did.
The powwow has become an educational opportunity for both white visitors and younger Nanticokes to learn about this heritage, and it has served as a bridge across the gap between European and Native American cultures.
==References==
==References==