Pagan Creek Dike
About this property
Pagan Creek Dike is a historic causeway located at Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware. It is about 700 feet (213.36 m) long, nine to ten feet (2.74 m – 3.05 meters) wide at the top, constructed of clay and loam piled atop a sand footing, which rests on marsh mud. In some places, the dike still rises about two feet above the level of the adjacent marsh. It is dated to the mid- to late-17th century, and is one of the oldest surviving road structures in Delaware. It was apparently built by the Dutch settlers to connect the Dutch West India Company fort with the hinterland beyond Pagan Creek. Pagan Creek was the earliest known name for this body of water. It was later known as "Canarikill", which translates roughly as Canary Creek. The numerous Goldfinches in the area reminded the Dutch of canaries, hence the name. Kill means creek, basically, in Dutch. Over time, Canarikill became localized as Canarical, a name that persisted well into the mid to later 1900s by some locals. Eventually, the name evolved to Canary Creek, which is present on most modern maps. The timbers of the dike (dyke), better thought of as a 'causeway', are in remarkably good condition and visible at low tide approximately 300 yards (0.27 km) west of the bridge over New Road. The entire reach of the dike is on private property. One can see the timbers at low tide by canoe or kayak, but even so the waters in the area are still privately owned. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Pagan Creek Dike
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Questions about this property
When was Pagan Creek Dike listed on the National Register?
Pagan Creek Dike was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 1973.
What type of historic resource is Pagan Creek Dike?
Pagan Creek Dike is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Pagan Creek Dike?
The period of significance for Pagan Creek Dike is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Pagan Creek Dike?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Pagan Creek Dike will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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