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46-723: The railroad was conceived in 1836 by John M. Clayton , a former United States senator who obtained a charter from the Delaware General Assembly to serve the Delmarva Peninsula . He was concerned that a proposal in Maryland to build a line along the western side of the peninsula would harm Delaware's economy. Delaware was highly motivated and exempted the railroad from taxation for fifty years and provided other incentives. Clayton, William D. Waples and Richard Mansfield were appointed as commissioners and

92-516: A survey of the line was made. The Depression of 1837-1839 prevented investment in the railroad and the charter was forfeited. The charter was renewed in 1848 under the promotion of Samuel M. Harrington (Clayton at this time was serving as the United States Secretary of State ). It called for a line from Dona Landing (just east of Dover) to Seaford that would be part of a Philadelphia to Norfolk route. Sufficient investment

138-660: A member of Brothers in Unity and then studied law at the Litchfield Law School . In 1819 he began the practice of law in Dover, Delaware . About this time his father died and Clayton became the sole supporter of his immediate family, weekly walking the distance from Dover to Milford to see to their needs. He married Sally Ann Fisher in 1822. She was the granddaughter of former Governor George Truitt . They had two sons, James and Charles, but she died two weeks after

184-816: A monopoly over the peninsula. These included the Junction and Breakwater Railroad and the Queen Anne's Railroad (later the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railroad ). Opening in 1884, the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad utilized the Delaware Railroad track, with an extension south through Maryland to Cape Charles , located close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on Virginia's Eastern Shore and then by rail ferry to Norfolk, Virginia . The New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad

230-570: Is Lake Forest High School . As of the census of 2000, there were 3,174 people, 1,223 households, and 825 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,587.1 inhabitants per square mile (612.8/km ). There were 1,328 housing units at an average density of 664.0 units per square mile (256.4 units/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 75.2% White , 21.6% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.4% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.7% from other races , and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of

276-551: Is a city in Kent County, Delaware , United States. It is part of the Dover metropolitan statistical area . Harrington hosts the annual Delaware State Fair each July. The population was 3,774 in 2020. Harrington was named for Hon. Samuel Maxwell Harrington , a former chancellor of the state. The town developed at a railroad junction along the Delaware Railroad and served as a rural trading center. Harrington

322-522: Is located at 38°55′25″N 75°34′40″W  /  38.92361°N 75.57778°W  / 38.92361; -75.57778 (38.9237244, –75.5777033). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km ), of which 2.0 square miles (5.2 km ) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km ) (1.48%) is water. Harrington has a mayor-council system of government. As of 2017,

368-638: Is located on the Delaware State Fairgrounds. The Delaware State Fair holds a 10-day event in July annually and celebrated its centennial in 2019. The fair has been a venue for top national entertainment in recent years with acts such as Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire , Carrie Underwood , Little Big Town , Gladys Knight and Brad Paisley among many more artists who have performed on the M&;T Bank Grandstand stage. The fairgrounds also features

414-520: The Centre Ice Rink . Harrington Raceway has been the home of a harness racing meet for over 75 years. Despite the town's diminutive size, some of Harrington's most famous residents have been the horses, including three recent Dan Patch Award honorees. In 2004, Rainbow Blue and 2015 Wiggle It Jiggleit both received that distinguished title of Horse of the Year and in 2019, Shartin N accomplished

460-685: The Delmarva Central Railroad , a short-line railroad that operates 188 miles (303 km) of track on the Delmarva Peninsula. The majority of the Delmarva Central Railroad is the track of the former Delaware Railroad. The railroad extends past the southern terminus of the Delaware Railroad at Delmar another 35 miles (56 km) into Maryland to Pocomoke City . The railroad's station in Felton

506-475: The Nanticoke River . Both the stage and steamship lines were made obsolete by the railroad and hence abandoned. The railroad ran inland to avoid wetlands near the coast through areas that had been sparsely populated. Railroad access spurred the growth of farms in this part of the state as farmers had means to ship produce north to Philadelphia , New York and Boston . Land that had not been farmed

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552-437: The judgment was "exorbitant". New towns formed along the railroad including Bridgeville , Greenwood , Clayton (named for the railroad's founder John M. Clayton) was nearby Smyrna which did not want the railroad competing with its shipping industry, Wyoming (nearby Camden refused to allow the railroad to be built through the town), Felton (named after David Felton, president of the railroad) and Harrington . In 1855,

598-648: The 23rd and 24th Congress. After returning to Delaware from his first term in the United States Senate, Clayton was appointed Chief Justice of the Delaware Superior Court , replacing his cousin Thomas Clayton, who had been elected to the vacant U.S. Senate seat. He served in this position from January 16, 1837, until September 19, 1839, when he resigned to support the presidential candidacy of William Henry Harrison . Clayton

644-607: The Delaware Railroad was eventually absorbed into Conrail , created by the Federal Government to operate the potentially profitable lines of multiple bankrupt carriers. Becoming profitable in the 1980s, most of Conrail was sold off to CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1998. Norfolk Southern then operated the Delaware Railroad mainline until it was spun off in October 2016 to

690-473: The Delaware railroad. The railroad is credited with the peach becoming a "signature crop" in Delaware - the first state from which peaches were a commercial crop shipped long distances to market. In 1863, peach farmers sued the railroad after they grew a bumper crop but the railroad did not have enough freight cars to accommodate the entire crop, and as a result there was significant spoilage. The railroad felt

736-611: The Delmarva Subdivision toward the coast then turns south and runs through Georgetown to Frankford, Delaware . The Delmarva Central Railroad, which is based in Oakmont, Pennsylvania , is locally managed from offices in Harrington and some of its freight operations are based out of the town. As of 2019, the former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) tower adjacent to the Harrington depot that at one time manually controlled

782-895: The Senate was that made June 15, 1854 against the message of U.S. President Franklin Pierce , vetoing the Bill for the Benefit of the Indigent Insane , which would have ceded public lands for an insane asylum. After the death of his second son, Clayton moved his residence back to Dover. He died there and is buried in the Old Presbyterian Cemetery, which is at Dover, on the grounds of the Delaware State Museum . His contemporaries considered Clayton one of

828-403: The average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the city

874-495: The birth of Charles. Clayton never remarried and raised the two boys himself. In 1844, Clayton cultivated a tract of land near New Castle, Delaware which he called Buena Vista . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Here he built a mansion and made one of the most fruitful estates in that region. Both of his sons died while in their 20s, shortly before the death of their father. Clayton

920-614: The city. The City of Harrington Public Works Department provides water and sewer service to Harrington. The city formerly had its own wastewater treatment plant but now transports its sewage to the Kent County wastewater treatment plant in Frederica . Charlie's Waste Services provides trash and recycling collection in Harrington. Harrington is within the Lake Forest School District . The zoned high school

966-812: The discussion the whole question of nullification . Clayton favored the extension of the charter for the Second Bank of the United States and his investigation of the Post Office Department led to its reorganization. At various times he served on the Military Affairs, Militia, District of Columbia, and Post Office Committees, but his most important position was the Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee in

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1012-534: The first Tuesday of October. Members of the General Assembly took office on the first Tuesday of January. State Representatives had a one-year term. The Secretary of State was appointed by the Governor and took office on the third Tuesday of January for a five-year term. The General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, who took office March 4, for a six-year term. Harrington, Delaware Harrington

1058-627: The former New Castle and Wilmington Railroad track was added to the Delaware Railroad (both then owned by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore) extending its northern terminus to the Christiana River in Wilmington. In 1910, the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (the successor to the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore) renewed its lease of the railroad for another 99 years. The lease included the: In 1881,

1104-493: The headline, Adios Harry: World's Fastest Pacer! In 2021, yet another horse hailing from Harrington was making headlines - as Lyons Sentinel was ranked the #1 in the country as of October 5. The town post office contains a wax tempera mural, Men Hoeing , painted in 1941 by Eve Salisbury . Federally commissioned murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture , later called

1150-578: The impressive feat. Many other horses from the 19952 ZIP code have received divisional honors and throughout 2019, the aforementioned Shartin N was ranked the #1 horse in the country, prior to winning top honors. Amidst Shartin's ascent, yet another Harrington horse, Lather Up, was making headlines as he equaled harness racing's all-time fastest time of 1:46 in July 2019 at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey . Coincidentally, Lather Up

1196-494: The junction's switches and signals is now a preserved heritage item along with an adjacent PRR caboose in its original Tuscan Red color. Into the 1950s, the PRR's Del-Mar-Va Express steam powered passenger train that ran between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cape Charles, Virginia stopped at Harrington. Delmarva Power , a subsidiary of Exelon , provides electricity to Harrington. Chesapeake Utilities provides natural gas to

1242-546: The main east–west road in Harrington, heading west toward Denton, Maryland and east toward Milford . DART First State provides bus service to Harrington along Route 117, which heads north toward Camden and connects to the local bus routes serving the Dover area. Harrington is a railroad junction of the north–south running Delmarva Central Railroad that runs between Porter , near Wilmington to Pocomoke City, Maryland . The Indian River Subdivision branches at Harrington from

1288-507: The mayor of Harrington is Duane Bivans. The mayor of Harrington has a term limit of eight consecutive years while city council members have term limits of nine consecutive years. Term limits were implemented in 2017 and Harrington is one of only a few municipalities in Delaware with term limits for municipal officials. U.S. Route 13 (Dupont Highway) serves as the main north–south road in Harrington, heading north toward Dover and south toward Salisbury, Maryland . Delaware Route 14 serves as

1334-621: The most skilled debaters and orators in the Senate. He was always accessible, and was noted for his genial disposition and brilliant conversational powers. Clayton Hall at the University of Delaware is named in his honor, as are towns in Delaware, New York, North Carolina and a county in Iowa. In 1934, the state of Delaware donated a statue of Clayton to the National Statuary Hall Collection . Elections were held

1380-744: The parent company, the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad, itself came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad , a larger and dominant railroad of the Northeastern United States . Facing financial difficulties in the 1960s, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with its rival New York Central in 1968 forming the Penn Central which itself filed for what was, at that time, the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history in 1970. The mainline of

1426-409: The population. There were 1,223 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and

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1472-672: The railroad located its main office in Clayton. Prior to the Civil War , southern sympathizers utilized the railroad as a route south to join the Confederacy . In 1861, Charles du Pont Bird (a descendant of E.I. du Pont ) advised General Robert E. Lee that the railroad should be destroyed to prevent its use by the Union Army to ship troops and supplies to Washington, DC . The railroad remained under Federal control throughout

1518-478: The war. The railroad was used to ship contraband south to the Confederacy as its geography placed it in a prime smuggling route. In the latter half of the 19th century, the Pennsylvania Railroad had acquired the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad, and several east–west lines serving locations throughout the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland , effectively securing

1564-469: Was $ 30,945, and the median income for a family was $ 36,815. Males had a median income of $ 32,064 versus $ 20,801 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,049. About 12.1% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over. South of Harrington is the Harrington Raceway & Casino , which

1610-539: Was a former Governor of Delaware and his cousin, Thomas Clayton , was a prominent lawyer, U.S. Senator, and jurist. John M. Clayton studied at Berlin, Maryland and Milford, Delaware when his parents moved there. His boyhood home, known as the Parson Thorne Mansion , was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. He graduated from Yale University in 1815, where he was

1656-560: Was cleared as the new access to city markets increased agricultural output. The railroad assisted the Delaware peach industry, allowing faster peach transport to market than had been possible by steamship. It also allowed the introduction of peach orchards to areas without access to river shipping. The industry spread downstate from the Delaware City area where it originated as the railroad extended further south. By 1875, five million baskets (900,000 carloads) of peaches were shipped on

1702-467: Was conceived by William Lawrence Scott , an Erie, Pennsylvania investor and coal magnate , who wanted to build a shorter railroad route between the coal wharfs of Hampton Roads by utilizing a ferry line across the Chesapeake Bay and a railroad line up the Delmarva Peninsula to the industrial north. In 1891, the former New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad track from Porter to New Castle and

1748-769: Was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives for the 1824 session and was appointed the Delaware Secretary of State from December 1826 to October 1828. Conservative in background and outlook, Clayton quickly became a leader of the Adams faction which later developed into the Delaware Whig Party. During this time he was also the driving force in the convention that produced the Delaware Constitution of 1831 . In 1829, Clayton

1794-456: Was elected to the United States Senate as its youngest member. Six years later he declined re-election, but the General Assembly elected him anyway, only to have him resign. He served from March 4, 1829, until December 29, 1836. He distinguished himself in the Senate by a speech during the debate on the Foote resolution, which, though merely relating to the survey of the public lands, introduced into

1840-473: Was intensely nationalistic and an ardent advocate of commercial expansion but his strict interpretation of international law created crises with Spain, Portugal, and France. Clayton was again elected to the United States Senate one last time in 1853 and served from March 4, 1853, until his death on November 9, 1856. He opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act . One of his most noted speeches delivered in

1886-793: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and was renovated for use as a museum. The station in Wyoming was listed in 1980. John M. Clayton John Middleton Clayton (July 24, 1796 – November 9, 1856) was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware and U.S. Secretary of State. Born in Dagsboro, Delaware , son of Sarah (née Middleton) and James Clayton. His uncle, Dr. Joshua Clayton ,

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1932-569: Was once again elected to the United States Senate in 1845, where he opposed the annexation of Texas and the Mexican–American War but advocated the active prosecution of the latter once it was begun. His tenure was only from March 4, 1845, until February 23, 1849, as he resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State. On March 8, 1849, Clayton became U.S. Secretary of State in the Whig administration of Zachary Taylor . His most notable accomplishment

1978-696: Was opened with an inaugural eight-car train north from Middletown on September 1, 1855, carrying the president of the railroad and that of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad, the chief engineer, and railroad contractors. Prior to the railroad, steamship traffic from Philadelphia ran to Dona Landing, a Dona steamship line port on the Leipsic River just off Delaware Bay and approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Dover. Passengers would then go by stagecoach to Dover and south to Seaford where they would then resume travel by ship south to Norfolk on

2024-558: Was secured by 1852 allowing commencement of the operation. In 1853, the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad guaranteed construction bonds , and the line was built from a junction with the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad in Porter to Dover in 1855 and on to Seaford in 1856. Moving the northern terminus from Dona Landing to Porter added approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the originally planned length. The first section

2070-443: Was stabled 4 miles to the east of Harrington Raceway at George Teague Jr's farm, while Shartin N's training base was 4 miles west of the racetrack at the farm of Jo Ann Looney and Jim King Jr. The town's rich harness racing history dates back to the 1950s when Adios Harry was named aged pacer of the year and was one of the town's first nationally recognized horses. He was even on the cover of the July 23, 1956 Sports Illustrated , with

2116-599: Was the negotiation of the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty of 1850 with the British minister, Sir Henry Bulwer-Lytton . This treaty guaranteed the neutrality and encouragement of lines of travel across the isthmus at Panama, and laid the groundwork for America's eventual building of the Panama Canal. His tenure was brief, however, ending on July 22, 1850, soon after President Taylor's death. As secretary of state, Clayton

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