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54-471: Established in 1909, it became the largest supplier of rayon and the first company to make artificial silk in the United States. American Viscose had plants at Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania (established 1910), Roanoke, Virginia (1916), Lewistown, Pennsylvania (1920), Parkersburg, West Virginia (1927), Meadville, Pennsylvania (1929), Nitro, West Virginia , and Front Royal, Virginia (1940). After

108-402: A 1946 merger with Sylvania Industrial Corporation (not to be confused with lighting and electronics manufacturer Sylvania ), it gained a plant at Fredericksburg, Virginia . The company was founded by Samuel Agar Salvage , as a division of Courtaulds and began production as "The American Viscose Corporation-(AVC)" in 1910. Later it was branded as "Crown Rayon". In 1941, to purchase supplies for

162-510: A Swedish admiral from Finland. Blommaert assisted the fitting-out and appointed Peter Minuit (the former Governor of New Netherland ) to lead the expedition. The expedition sailed into Delaware Bay aboard the Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel ; territory that was claimed by the Dutch. They passed Cape May and Cape Henlopen in late March 1638 and anchored on March 29 at a rocky point on

216-736: A Swedish log blockhouse located on Society Hill in Philadelphia in 1669. It was later used as a church until about 1700, when Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church of Philadelphia was built on the site. The start of the Third Anglo-Dutch War resulted in the Dutch recapture of New Netherland in August 1673. They restored the status which predated the English capture, and codified it in the establishment of three counties: Hoarkill County , New Amstel County , and Upland County, which

270-559: A household in the borough was $ 28,219, and the median income for a family was $ 36,083. Males had a median income of $ 31,620 versus $ 24,569 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $ 13,738. About 13.3% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over. As of 2020, there were 7.25 miles (11.67 km) of public roads in Marcus Hook, of which 1.90 miles (3.06 km) were maintained by

324-776: A member of the Königsmarck family, attempted to instigate a rebellion against the British to return New Sweden to Swedish rule. The rebellion, known as the Revolt of the Long Swede due to Jacobsson's height, failed. Jacobsson was sold into slavery in the Caribbean and the families that had supported him were fined for their participation in the revolt. New Sweden continued to exist unofficially, and some immigration and expansion continued. The first settlement at Wicaco began with

378-469: A new governor was selected and arrived from Sweden two years later. The colony expanded along the river under the leadership of Johan Björnsson Printz , governor from 1643 to 1653. They established Fort Nya Elfsborg on the east bank of the Delaware near what is now Salem, New Jersey , and Fort Nya Gothenborg on Tinicum Island . Printz built his manor house, The Printzhof , at Fort Nya Gothenborg, and

432-750: A number of Dutch. New Sweden was conquered by the Dutch Republic in 1655 during the Second Northern War and incorporated into the Dutch colony of New Netherland . By the middle of the 17th century, Sweden had reached its greatest territorial extent and was one of the great powers of Europe; it was the stormaktstiden ("age of greatness" or "great power period"). Sweden then included Finland and Estonia , along with parts of modern Russia , Poland , Germany , Norway and Latvia under King Gustavus Adolphus and later Queen Christina . Other European nations were establishing colonies in

486-529: A proprietary colony, separate from the projected colony of New York . The invasion began on August 29, 1664, with the capture of New Amsterdam and ended with the capture of Fort Casimir in October. This took place at the beginning of the Second Anglo-Dutch War . In 1669, New Sweden was under British rule, but most of the population was still Swedish. A man named Marcus Jacobsson, posing as

540-513: A prosperous community and market town and in 1708 was of equal prominence to nearby Chester, Pennsylvania , with each location having approximately 100 houses. In the early 1700s, Marcus Hook was a haven for pirates who plagued the lower Delaware River . The market at Marcus Hook provided the pirates a place to sell plundered goods and re-supply away from the authorities and custom officials in Philadelphia . Early maps of Marcus Hook show

594-745: Is 7b. Marcus Hook is a part of Chichester School District , which includes Marcus Hook Elementary School] for grades K-4, Chichester Middle School for grades 5-8, and Chichester High School for grades 9-12. Each of the three schools is located in Marcus Hook. The area Catholic K-8 school is Holy Family Regional Catholic School in Aston . Marcus Hook previously had its own Catholic grade school, Immaculate Conception School. It closed in 1974, with students moved to Holy Savior School. That school merged into Holy Savior-St. John Fisher School in Linwood , which in turn merged into Holy Family in 2012. As of Census 2010,

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648-793: Is a SEPTA train station on the Wilmington/Newark Line providing service to Center City Philadelphia , Wilmington, and Newark, Delaware . SEPTA Route 119 bus also services Marcus Hook along its route between Chester Transportation Center and Cheyney University . The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia operates Catholic churches. Immaculate Conception of Lourdes Church in Marcus Hook opened in January 1917. In 2013 Immaculate Conception merged with in St. John Fisher Church in Upper Chichester Township , with

702-542: Is bordered to the northwest by Lower Chichester Township , including the community of Linwood , to the northeast by the borough of Trainer , to the southeast across the Delaware River by Gloucester County, New Jersey , and to the southwest by New Castle County, Delaware . The southern border of Marcus Hook is part of the Twelve-Mile Circle border between Pennsylvania and Delaware . According to

756-510: Is now Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Lenape sachem Mattahoon later claimed that the purchase only included as much land as was contained within an area marked by "six trees", and the rest of the land occupied by the Swedes was stolen. The Director of New Netherland, Willem Kieft , objected to the Swedish presence, but Minuit ignored him since he knew that the Dutch were militarily weak at

810-647: Is one of the few settlements in the area retaining a Swedish name, and Upland survives as Upland, Pennsylvania . Swedesford Road is still found in Chester and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania, although Swedesford has long since become Norristown . Swedeland, Pennsylvania , is part of Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County . The American Swedish Historical Museum in South Philadelphia houses many exhibits, documents, and artifacts from

864-488: Is one of the oldest surviving log houses in the United States. The settlers came from all over the Swedish realm. The percentage of Finns in New Sweden grew especially towards the end of the period of colonization. Finns composed 22 percent of the population during Swedish rule, and rose to about 50 percent after the colony came under Dutch rule. A contingent of 140 Finns arrived in 1664. The ship Mercurius sailed to

918-563: The Lenape Native American tribe and their indigenous ancestors, whose succeeding cultures occupied present-day Marcus Hook and surrounding areas for thousands of years. The Lenape had a major settlement in Marcus Hook; New Sweden colonists established a trading post here in the 1640s. The village was called Chammassungh , or "Finland" by the Swedes. It was located on the west side of the Delaware River , between Marcus Hook Creek and Naamans Creek . Dutch colonists renamed

972-512: The New World and building successful trading empires at this time. The Swedes sought to expand their influence by creating their own tobacco plantation and fur-trading colony to circumvent French, English and Dutch merchants. The Swedish South Company (also known as the Company of New-Sweden) was founded in 1626 with a mandate to establish colonies between Florida and Newfoundland for

1026-612: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 5.35 miles (8.61 km) were maintained by the borough. U.S. Route 13 (10th Street) is the main road through the borough, leading northeast 4 miles (6 km) to Chester , and southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Wilmington, Delaware . Pennsylvania Route 452 (Market Street) intersects US 13 in the center of the borough and leads north 1 mile (1.6 km) to Interstate 95 Exit 2, and 7 miles (11 km) to U.S. Route 1 west of Media . Marcus Hook station

1080-631: The U.S. Census Bureau , Marcus Hook has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km ), 1.1 square miles (2.9 km ) of which is land and 0.50 square miles (1.3 km ), or 31.63%, of which is water. The lowest point in the state of Pennsylvania is located on the Delaware River in Marcus Hook, where it flows out of Pennsylvania and into Delaware. The borough has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) and average monthly temperatures range from 33.1°F in January to 77.9°F in July. The hardiness zone

1134-645: The United States . Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great power , New Sweden formed part of the Swedish efforts to colonize the Americas . Settlements were established on both sides of the Delaware River. Fort Christina , located in what is now Wilmington, Delaware , was the first settlement, named after Christina, Queen of Sweden . The settlers were Swedes , Finns , and

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1188-561: The sloops and schooners built in Marcus Hook. During the American Revolutionary War , two tiers of underwater chevaux-de-frise obstacles were placed across the Delaware River at Marcus Hook to provide a first line of defense of Philadelphia against British naval forces. Marcus Hook also served as a training center for the Pennsylvania militia . The Continental Army was stationed at Marcus Hook during

1242-436: The Dutch plundered houses and killed livestock in the vicinity of the fort. New Sweden was formally incorporated into New Netherland although the Swedish and Finnish settlers were allowed local autonomy. They retained their own militia, religion, court, and lands. This lasted until the English conquest of New Netherland, launched on June 24, 1664. The Duke of York sold New Jersey to John Berkeley and George Carteret to become

1296-590: The Immaculate Conception parish closed. The 2005 American comedy-drama film One Last Thing... , about a 16-year-old terminally ill boy hoping his final wish is granted, takes place in Marcus Hook. New Sweden New Sweden ( Swedish : Nya Sverige ) was a colony of the Swedish Empire along the lower reaches of the Delaware River between 1638 and 1655 in present-day Delaware , Maryland , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania in

1350-701: The Mariner East and Mariner XL Pipelines. In 1910, the American Viscose Corporation opened a plant in Marcus Hook for the production of rayon and other synthetic fibers. On February 4, 1932, the MS Bidwell , a motor tanker belonging to Sun Oil, exploded and burned at the Sinclair Dock while tanks were being cleaned of residual crude oil in preparation for loading of gasoline. The first explosion occurred at 12:20 am and

1404-555: The Minquas Kill that is known today as Swedes' Landing . They built a fort at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek which they named Fort Christina after their Queen. In the following years, the area was settled by roughly 600 Swedes and Finns , a number of Dutchmen, a few Germans, a Dane, and at least one Estonian . Minuit served as the first governor of the colony of New Sweden. He had been

1458-577: The New Sweden colony. Perhaps the greatest contribution of New Sweden to the development of the New World is the log house building technique. The colonists of New Sweden brought with them the log cabin , which became such an icon of the American frontier that it is commonly thought of as an American structure. The C. A. Nothnagle Log House on Swedesboro-Paulsboro Road in Gibbstown, New Jersey ,

1512-714: The Swedish colony prospered for a time. New Sweden established a strong trading relationship with the Susquehannock and supported them in their war against Maryland colonists. In 1651, the Dutch West India Company abandoned Fort Nassau and established Fort Casimir on the west side of the Delaware River a few miles south of Fort Christina. In May 1654, soldiers from New Sweden led by Governor Johan Risingh captured Fort Casimir and renamed it Fort Trinity ( Trefaldigheten in Swedish). In November 1654,

1566-601: The War, the British government were pressured by the U.S. Government to sell the company to 152 American investment firms in a deal led by Morgan, Stanley & Co. and Dillion, Reed & Co. The 228,480 shares were sold to the public. In 1949, The company passed into the control of the Monsanto Corporation . (Courtaulds resumed manufacture of rayon in the United States in 1952, at a new plant in Axis, Alabama ). In 1963 it

1620-565: The aerospace industry, and then permanently closing in 1990 for economic and environmental reasons. Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania Marcus Hook is a borough in Delaware County , Pennsylvania , United States. The population was 2,397 at the 2010 census . The current mayor is Gene Taylor. The borough calls itself "The Cornerstone of Pennsylvania". The 2005 film One Last Thing ... was set and partially filmed in Marcus Hook. The earliest inhabitants of Marcus Hook were members of

1674-567: The assimilation of New Sweden into New York was the extension of the Duke's laws into the region on September 22, 1676. This was followed by the partition of some Upland Counties to conform to the borders of Pennsylvania and Delaware, with most of the Delaware portion going to New Castle County on November 12, 1678. The remainder of Upland continued in place under the same name. On June 21, 1680, New Castle and Hoarkill Counties were partitioned to produce St. Jones County. On March 4, 1681, what had been

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1728-544: The borough was 91.44% White , 5.32% African American , 0.09% Native American , 0.61% Asian , 0.69% from other races , and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population. There were 919 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.9% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who

1782-593: The colony in 1665, and 92 of the 106 passengers were listed as Finns. Memory of the early Finnish settlement lived on in place names near the Delaware River such as Finland (Marcus Hook), Torne, Lapland, Finns Point , Mullica Hill, and Mullica River. A portion of these Finns were known as Forest Finns , people of Finnish descent who had been living in the forest areas of Central Sweden. The Forest Finns had moved from Savonia in Eastern Finland to Dalarna , Bergslagen and other provinces in central Sweden during

1836-399: The colony of New Sweden was formally partitioned into the colonies of Delaware and Pennsylvania. The border was established 12 miles north of New Castle, and the northern limit of Pennsylvania was set at 42 degrees north latitude. The eastern limit was the border with New Jersey at the Delaware River, while the western limit was undefined. In June 1681, Upland ceased to exist as the result of

1890-476: The current Second Street was originally named "Discord Lane", since it was the location of the pirates' revelry when they were in town. Marcus Hook Plank House reportedly was once the home of a Swedish mistress of the pirate Blackbeard , named Margaret. By the mid-18th century, Marcus Hook became a major regional center for the building of wooden sailing ships and remained so until the late 19th century. By that time, larger tonnage ships became more popular than

1944-643: The descendants of the early Swedish immigrants to New Sweden in the mid-18th century and documented their experiences with the Native American Indians who resided in those parts, in a book entitled Travels into North America . Historian H. Arnold Barton has suggested that the greatest significance of New Sweden was the strong and lasting interest in America that the colony generated in Sweden, although major Swedish immigration did not occur until

1998-467: The directors of the Dutch West India Company ordered the Director-General of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant , to "drive" the Swedes from the river. In the summer of 1655, Stuyvesant sailed to Delaware Bay with 7 ships and 317 soldiers and quickly retook Fort Casimir (Fort Trinity). Stuyvesant then proceeded to besiege Fort Christina which surrendered on September 15, 1655. During the siege,

2052-487: The fall of 1777. As the town was bombarded by British warships, there are very few pre-Revolutionary houses in Marcus Hook. Marcus Hook served as a defensive post along the Delaware River during the War of 1812 , with over 5,000 United States troops placed there. The borough was officially incorporated on March 7, 1892. The convergence of rail, roads, a deep water port, and the nation's growing thirst for petroleum gave rise to

2106-848: The late 19th century. From 1870 to 1910, more than one million Swedes arrived in America, settling particularly in Minnesota and other states of the Upper Midwest . Traces of New Sweden persist in the lower Delaware valley, including Holy Trinity Church in Wilmington, Delaware , Gloria Dei Church and St. James Kingsessing Church in Philadelphia, Trinity Episcopal Church in Swedesboro, New Jersey , and Christ Church in Swedesburg, Pennsylvania . All of those churches are commonly known as "Old Swedes' Church". Christiana, Delaware ,

2160-551: The moment. Minuit completed Fort Christina, then sailed for Stockholm to bring a second group of settlers. He made a detour to the Caribbean to pick up a shipment of tobacco to sell in Europe in order to make the voyage profitable; however, he died on this voyage during a hurricane at St. Christopher in the Caribbean. The official duties of the governor of New Sweden were carried out by Captain Måns Nilsson Kling , until

2214-462: The purposes of trade, particularly along the Delaware River. Its charter included Swedish, Dutch, and German stockholders. The directors of the company included Flemish/Dutch merchant Samuel Blommaert . The company sponsored 11 expeditions in 14 separate voyages to Delaware between 1638 and 1655; two were lost. The first Swedish expedition to America sailed from the port of Gothenburg in late 1637, organized and overseen by Clas Larsson Fleming ,

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2268-546: The racial makeup of the borough was 82.3% White , 13.6% African American , 0.1% Native American , 0.4% Asian , 0.3% from other races , and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population [1] . As of the census of 2000, there were 2,314 people, 919 households, and 565 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,055.7 inhabitants per square mile (793.7/km ). There were 1,025 housing units at an average density of 910.6 per square mile (351.6/km ). The racial makeup of

2322-560: The refineries that became the borough's dominant industry. Sun Oil Company opened the Marcus Hook refinery in 1901 to refine crude oil brought by ship from Texas . It was the first of seven major refineries that made up the largest fuel-manufacturing center in the Northeast. The refinery was closed in 2011 due to deteriorating market conditions. The refinery was reopened as Marcus Hook Industrial Complex operated by Energy Transfer Partners. Processing Marcellus Shale gas transferred via

2376-621: The reorganization of the Colony of Pennsylvania, with the Upland government becoming the government of Chester County, Pennsylvania. On August 24, 1682, the Duke of York transferred the western Delaware River region to William Penn, including Delaware, thus transferring Deale County and St. Jones County from New York to Delaware. St. Jones County was renamed Kent County , Deale County was renamed Sussex County , and New Castle County retained its name. Swedish explorer and botanist Pehr Kalm visited

2430-693: The settlement as "Marrites Hoeck" after they conquered the area in 1655. The name is derived from the word Hook, meaning promontory, or point of land projecting into the water and Marcus, a corruption of the name of the Indian chief, called Maarte by the Dutch, who lived at the Hook. English colonists gained control of the Dutch colonies and founded St. Martin's Church in 1699; the new church opened for worship in 1702. Walter Martin of Upper Chichester founded this church as an alternative place of worship and burial for Christian non-Quakers. Marcus Hook became

2484-402: The third Director of New Netherland, and he knew that the Dutch claimed the area surrounding the Delaware River and its bay. The Dutch West India Company , however, had withdrawn its settlers from the area in order to concentrate on the settlement on Manhattan Island , leaving Fort Nassau on the east side of the Delaware River as the only Dutch outpost on the Delaware River. Minuit landed on

2538-459: The three counties which they created. After taking stock, the English declared on November 11 that settlements on the west side of the Delaware River and Delaware Bay were to be dependent on the Province of New York , including the three Counties. This declaration was followed by a declaration that renamed New Amstel as New Castle. The other counties retained their Dutch names. The next step in

2592-744: The west bank of the river and met with the sachems of the Lenape and Susquehannock . They held a conclave in Minuit's cabin on the Kalmar Nyckel , and he persuaded the Lenape to sign deeds which he had prepared to resolve any issue with the Dutch. The Swedes claimed that the purchase included land on both sides of the South (Delaware) River from the Schuylkill River down to Delaware Bay in what

2646-451: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.18. In the borough the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for

2700-584: Was concurrently purchased from separate interests. Four of the five permits signed on the air, but three of the five left the air in 1971; all were eventually sold by 1972. In 1980 Avtex Fibers closed their plant in Nitro, West Virginia that manufactured rayon staple. In 1983, Avtex Fibers was the largest US manufacturer of rayon fiber, as well as operating plants that made polyester and acetate yarn. Many of its closed plants have become Superfund pollution cleanup sites. The former plant site at Front Royal, Virginia

2754-497: Was followed by three more explosions within 25 minutes, resulting in 17 or 18 dead, including the entire crew and captain, and four were injured. The disaster induced Sun Oil to develop cargo tank inerting and install it on all their ships beginning the following year, in 1933. Marcus Hook is located along the southern border of Delaware County, Pennsylvania at 39°49′N 75°25′W  /  39.817°N 75.417°W  / 39.817; -75.417 (39.8182, -75.4155). It

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2808-409: Was later partitioned between New Castle County, Delaware, and the Colony of Pennsylvania. The three counties were created on September 12, 1673, the first two on the west shore of the Delaware River and the third on both sides of the river. The Treaty of Westminster of 1674 ended the second period of Dutch control and required them to return all of New Netherland to the English on June 29, including

2862-553: Was purchased by FMC Corporation . In 1974 the plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia was closed. FMC sold off the division in 1976 to its employees, when it was renamed Avtex Fibers. AVC also extended their reach to television station ownership, purchasing majority control of five construction permits from Daniel H. Overmyer in 1967 in exchange for a $ 3 million loan. AVC formed U.S. Communications, Inc., to operate these unbuilt stations along with WPHL-TV in Philadelphia, which

2916-731: Was used for manufacturing from 1940 until 1989, when the plant was closed after being cited for more than 2,000 environmental violations over five years, including emissions of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the nearby Shenandoah River . The plant was demolished in 1997, and is being restored by FMC in conjunction with the United States Environmental Protection Agency . The company made rayon fiber for fabric and also rayon cord for reinforcement of pneumatic automobile tires. Declining sales and high internal costs caused Avtex to close its rayon operations in 1988, briefly restarting to produce fiber for

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