Information and history of the state of Delaware

Henry Hudson, sailing under the Dutch flag, is credited with Delaware's discovery in 1609. The following year, Capt. Samuel Argall of Virginia named Delaware for his colony's governor, Thomas West, Baron De La Warr.

Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States constitution. It did so on December 7, 1787.

Some Delaware Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Mammal	3. State Flower	4. State Insect	5. State Mineral
6. State Tree	7. State Star	8. State Beverage	9. State Fish	10. State Soil

1. Blue Hen Chicken - The blue hen chicken was designated the official state bird of Delaware in 1939. The history of this symbol stems from the Revolutionary war when Delaware soldiers were compared to fighting cocks.
2. Grey Fox- Delaware designated the grey fox as the official state wildlife animal in 2010. indigenous to Delaware,it is estimated that this unique animal has existed between 7 and 10 million years.
3. Peach Blossom - Delaware designated the peach blossom as the official state flower symbol in 1895 because of Delaware's reputation as "The Peach State" (at that time Delaware orchards contained more than 800,000 peach trees).
4. Lady Bug - The lady bug was adopted as the official state bug of Delaware in 1974 thanks to an intensive effort made by Mrs. Mollie Brown-Rust and her 2nd grade students of the Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in Milford, Delaware. Also called lady beetle, ladybird, or ladyfly, lady bugs help gardeners and farmers by eating tiny insect pests that damage plants.
5. Sillimanite - Delaware recognized sillimanite as the official state mineral in 1977. Sillimanite is widespread in the metamorphic rocks of the Delaware Piedmont and large masses of sillimanite can be found as boulders at Brandywine Springs.
6. American Holly - Delaware designated American holly (Ilex opaca Aiton) as the official state tree in 1939. Also called Christmas holly or evergreen holly, American holly is regarded as one of Delaware's most important forest trees.
7. Delaware Diamond - The state star of Delaware is The Delaware Diamond. A star of the 12th magnitude that can be seen with binoculars or a telescope, the Delaware Diamond is located in the constellation of Ursa Major (Great Bear or Big Dipper).
8. Milk - Milk was designated the official state beverage of Delaware in 1983. Milk has been called a nearly perfect food - a source of protein, calcium, and several other important nutrients.
9. Weakfish - The weakfish (Cynoscion genus) was designated as the official state fish of Delaware in 1981. Also known as spotted sea trout, gray trout, yellow mouth, yellow fin trout, squeteague, and tiderunner, the weakfish can grow to 3 feet in length and weigh over 19 pounds.
10. Greenwich Loam - Greenwich loam was designated the official state soil of Delaware in 2000. This soil type is found in all counties of Delaware and enhances water quality, agriculture, wildlife habitat, and natural landscape beauty.

Did you know?

• Tradition holds the first time Betsy Ross's famous flag was flown was at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge. This historic site is located on route 4 in Newark.
• In total area Delaware ranks 49th in the nation. It contains 1,982 square miles. It is 96 miles long and varies from 9 to 35 miles in width.
• Delmar is popularized as the little town too big for one state. The community has the distinction of being located partly in Delaware and partly in Maryland.
• Today about 500 descendants of the original Nanticoke Indians reside in Delaware. They celebrate their heritage each September with the Nanticoke Indian Pow Wow.
• Delaware is the only state without any National Park System units such as national parks, seashores, historic sites, battlefields, memorials, and monuments.