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Posted by: jdm on 2009-10-26, 10:03:43
It's a small state that borders the Delaware Bay and River, but also connects with the Chesapeake Bay via the C &D Canal. pennways.com/ CD_Canal.html So it essentially connects anywhere in Delaware with anywhere along the Bay, including Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. If we're talking about back in the day, the Raritan Canal was built in the 1800s, and that essentially connects as far as Washington DC with NYC, without ever having to go into the ocean. In other words, goods and supplies could leave New York by boat and make it to Washington DC and Virginia just through the canals through NJ and DE. Delaware's proximity to Pennsylvania has to mean something, especially considering the time. Philadelphia is less than 20 miles away from Delaware, although I have no idea how long that is by horse. (FWIW...most of the major and old towns in DE are 7 miles apart. It was determined that a horse could make it 7 miles without another drink of water, therefore, most major "cities " are that distance from each other.) Also, the coal industry, or just coal at least (not sure if there was an "industry " by that point) is locally available. |
