Georgetown, Delaware

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County seat of Sussex County and home to the famous Circle.

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The future home of Sussex County’s seat of government was a sparsely populated rural area when the 76 acres which would become the Town of Georgetown were purchased on May 9, 1791. Located “near the centre” of the country at a place known as “James Pettijohn’s Old Field,” the land was surveyed by Rhoads Shankland, who divided it into lots which were sold to defray costs associated with the establishment of the town. The most prominent feature of his design was this Public Square, known today as The Circle.

After years of complaining about the expense and travel conditions, western Sussex Countians were successful in petitioning the General Assembly to move the County Seat to a central location, when a law was passed on January 29, 1791. The middle of the county was vast, swampy and largely unsettled, so the legislators selected 10 commissioners and instructed them to purchase land, build a courthouse and jail and sell lots in an area in the center of the County at "James Pettyjohn's old field or about a mile from where Ebenezer Pettyjohn now lives."

On May 9, 1791, the 10 commissioners headed by President of the State Senate George Mitchell negotiated the purchase of 76 acres and Commissioner Rhodes Shankland began the survey by laying out "a spacious square of 100 yards each way." Eventually the Town was laid out in a circle one mile across, centered on the original square surveyed by Shankland and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Courthouse was constructed on the southeastern side of the Town square as was the Jail and on October 26, 1791, the Seat of Justice was officially moved to the new county seat and named Georgetown in honor of George Mitchell. Lots were laid out measuring 60 by 120 feet and sold to recoup the State's investment. The original Courthouse was replaced by the present structure in 1837, it was restored in 1976 and now stands on South Bedford Street and serves as the home of the Georgetown Historical Society.

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