Browse Delaware Authors: Hessey, Theresa

Newark was founded primarily as a farming community of Scots-Irish, English, and Welsh immigrants in the early 1700s near the intersection of two Native American trails. Since that time, Newark has transformed into a bustling college town that still maintains a small-town feel. The 1767 arrival of the academy founded by Francis Alison inspired the town's growth, and the small academy eventually grew into the University of Delaware. The arrival of industries, particularly along White Clay Creek, also helped encourage Newark's growth into the third-largest city in the state. By the early 20th century, Main Street emerged as the retail center of town. Many of the images included here depict some of the early businesses that served Newark residents and document the shift from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles as well as the expansion of the University of Delaware.

During the past 250 years, Newark has transformed from a tiny farming community into a thriving small city. Its history includes the arrival of a variety of industries--including paper, woolen, and fibre mills and an automobile manufacturing plant--that have expanded the city's commercial and economic opportunities. Newark has also been home to the University of Delaware from its beginnings as a small academy in 1767. As a result, Newark's history is interwoven with that of the university. Although many of the industries that once thrived in Newark have closed because of technological advances and shifting economies, the city continues to grow. Main Street is now the retail hub of the city, and stores reside in what were private residences. Despite all of the changes brought on by industry and the passage of time, Newark has maintained its small-town feel.