Colonial America
Colonial Events in Delaware
59 events, page 1 of 2 - 1492 to early statehood
1524
Verrazzano Makes First European Contact with Lenape
Delaware · Expedition · Pre-Columbian
1609
Henry Hudson Explores Delaware Bay
Delaware · Expedition · Colonial Period
1610
Samuel Argall Names Delaware River
Delaware · Expedition · Colonial Period
1610
English Naming of Delaware River and Bay
Delaware · Other · Colonial Period
1613
Dutch Mapping Expeditions of Delaware Shore
Delaware · Expedition · Colonial Period
1623
Dutch Establish Trading Posts on Schuylkill River
Delaware · Settlement · Colonial Period
1624
Dutch Found New Amsterdam
Delaware · Settlement · Colonial Period
1626
Swedish South Company Unveiled
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1631
Dutch Found Zwaanendael Colony at Lewes, Delaware
Delaware · Settlement · Colonial Period
1631
Dutch Zwaanendael Colony Established
Delaware · Settlement · Colonial Period
1638
New Sweden Colony Established
Delaware · Settlement · Colonial Period
1638
Peter Minuit Treaty with Lenape Chiefs
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1642
First Recorded Epidemic in Delaware Valley
Delaware · Other · Colonial Period
1654
Dutch Conquest of New Sweden
Delaware · Transition Of Power · Colonial Period
1655
Dutch Capture New Sweden Colony
Delaware · Battle · Colonial Period
1664
English Conquest of Delaware
Delaware · Transition Of Power · Colonial Period
1664
English Conquest of New Netherland Complete
Delaware · Transition Of Power · Colonial Period
1667
Treaty of Breda Transfers Dutch North American Colonies
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1674
Treaty of Westminster Ends Dutch Re-occupation
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1676
Iroquois Confederacy Adds Lenape to Covenant Chain
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1681
Pennsylvania Colony Charter Granted
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1681
Pennsylvania Charter Granted to William Penn
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1682
William Penn Receives Delaware Lands
Delaware · Transition Of Power · Colonial Period
1682
Pennsylvania's First Legislature Meets
Delaware · Legislation · Colonial Period
1682
Pennsylvania's First Legislature Session
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1682
William Penn Establishes Pennsylvania and Peace Treaty with Lenape
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1682
First Enslaved Africans Arrive in Philadelphia
Delaware · Other · Colonial Period
1682
Initial Penn-Lenape Land Treaties
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1682
Chester Incorporated as First Pennsylvania Town
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1682
Treaty of Shackamaxon Signed
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1683
Pennsylvania Frame of Government Established
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1684
First Slaves Arrive in Philadelphia
Delaware · Other · Colonial Period
1688
Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery
Delaware · Legislation · Colonial Period
1701
Delaware Granted Independent Colonial Legislature
Delaware · Legislation · Colonial Period
1701
Penn Signs Charter of Privileges
Delaware · Legislation · Colonial Period
1718
George I's Privy Council Repudiates Colonial Laws
Delaware · Legislation · Colonial Period
1718
Hannah Callowhill Penn Becomes Governor
Delaware · Transition Of Power · Colonial Period
1722
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Founded
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1725
Act for Better Regulating Negroes Passed
Delaware · Legislation · Colonial Period
1732
Ephrata Cloister Founded
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1737
Walking Purchase Annexes Lenape Lands
Delaware · Other · Colonial Period
1741
Moravian Towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth Founded
Delaware · Founding · Colonial Period
1757
Brotherton Reservation Established in New Jersey
Delaware · Other · Colonial Period
1758
Treaty of Easton Signed
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1763
Royal Proclamation of 1763 Bans Western Settlement
Delaware · Legislation · Colonial Period
1767
Mason-Dixon Line Survey
Delaware · Other · Colonial Period
1768
Treaty Codifying Royal Proclamation of 1763 Boundaries
Delaware · Treaty · Colonial Period
1775
Second Continental Congress Forms Continental Army
Delaware · Founding · Revolutionary Era
1776
Delaware Joins United States of America
Delaware · Admission To Union · Revolutionary Era
1776
Continental Congress Grants Washington Dictatorial Powers
Delaware · Legislation · Revolutionary Era
Unlimited access
What a full report reveals, anywhere in the United States
Pick any location and Aubrey pulls together 18 strands of its history, each drawn from the record:
Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Aubrey Research
Research the history of any US location
Aubrey searches federal archives, archaeological records, historic registers, and primary sources to build a full historical report for any address or place in the United States.