Restoration of deVries Monument now underway

The Delaware monument to an event considered by many as the most consequential in the state’s history is getting a long-planned restoration with the help of the Greater Lewes Foundation.

Located near Roosevelt Inlet on Pilottown Road in Lewes, the deVries Monument recognizes the establishment there in 1631 of a Dutch colony whose existence eventually resulted in the creation of Delaware as a separate state.

The short-lived colony was sponsored by Dutchman David deVries, a statue of whom sits atop the Zwaanendael Museum in downtown Lewes. DeVries visited the colony site during a second voyage after it had been destroyed.

“Without the deVries colony, it is likely the Delaware we know and love today would instead be part of the state of Maryland,” said Denise Clemons, Historic Lewes board chair.

Delaware’s Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs assigned the redesign of the monument to the Greater Lewes Foundation a number of years ago. Over time, the agency considered numerous approaches before arriving at the final design submitted by Vernacular Landscaping.

According to Suzanne Savery, HCA director, the new ground-level design will address required accessibility and safety concerns, as well as allowing larger groups of people to visit and enjoy the monument.

The site will also include broader interpretive signage about pre- and post-Colonial life and events to help inform and educate visitors.

Mark Chura, project manager for the Greater Lewes Foundation, said work at the site began in mid-November and will continue through the end of the year, depending on material availability. Lewes in Bloom will provide landscaping services with new plantings next spring.

Lewes will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the deVries colony in 2031, and the monument is expected to play a central role as the birthplace of Delaware.

In the meantime, a spring rededication of the deVries monument will be co-hosted by the HCA, GLF and the Lewes 250 committee as part of its year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of  America’s independence.