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Stockley Tavern joins long list of Delaware historical places
Local gathering place was first to have television for the public in ‘50s and ‘60s
Unveiling the marker are (l-r) Stephen Marz, director of Delaware Archives, Bob Stickels, Rep. Steve Smyk, Georgetown Mayor Bill West, owners Ken and Tracy Adams, Rep. Harvey Kenton, Sussex County Council President Mike Vincent and Sen. Brian Pettyjohn. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO
April 18, 2018
Officials, friends and loyal customers gathered April 9 to unveil the state’s 570th historical marker at Stockley Tavern along Route 113 south of Georgetown.
The oldest tavern in Delaware was opened in 1948 by Wilbert Rogers, and it quickly became a popular place, said Delaware Archives Director Stephen Marz. Known as Stockleyville Tavern, it was the first place to provide public television – with three channels – in the 1950s and 1960s.
“A lot of people didn’t have TV sets then, so it’s where the community gathered,” Marz said.
In attendance at the ceremony was Lorraine Rogers, wife of the late owner of the tavern. She said she never worked with her husband because her job was at home raising five children.
