General Assembly honors Lewes history milestone

This weekend, the City of Lewes will mark the 200th anniversary of an event still famous in the seaside community – the April 6-7, 1813, British bombardment during the War of 1812.

Over the course of 22 hours some of the homes in Lewes sustained damage, including the town’s landmark Cannonball House, where one of the munitions fired that day remains visibly lodged in the wall of the building. At least one of the British ships was damaged as well, the result of fire directed from a small fort located on Pilottown Road, near current home of the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment.

Last week, the Delaware General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 to commemorate this weekend's bicentennial of the British bombardment of Lewes. State Rep. Steve Smyk, R-Milton/Lewes, and State Sen. Senator Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes, were the prime sponsors of the measure.

“I was glad Sen. Lopez and I had the opportunity to sponsor this on behalf of the Lewes Historical Society,” Smyk said. “This modest piece of legislation officially marks a milestone of this legendry incident and recognizes a unique aspect of Lewes' legacy."

SJR 2, which requires the signature of Gov. Jack Markell, is expected to be presented to British dignitaries as part of the anniversary remembrance.