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Dagsboro, Delaware
Town
Location of Dagsboro in Sussex County, Delaware.
DagsboroLocation within the state of DelawareShow map of DelawareDagsboroDagsboro (the United States)Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 38°32′57″N 75°14′45″W / 38.54917°N 75.24583°W / 38.54917; -75.24583
Country	United States
State	Delaware
County	Sussex
Area
• Total	1.44 sq mi (3.73 km)
• Land	1.44 sq mi (3.73 km)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km)
Elevation	26 ft (8 m)
Population
• Total	870
• Density	605.01/sq mi (233.52/km)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	19939
Area code	302
FIPS code	10-18950
GNIS feature ID	213855
Website	dagsboro.delaware.gov

Dagsboro is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. The population was 805 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Dagsboro, incorporated in the early 1900s, is a town that is energized in summer by Delaware Route 26 beach traffic. The town, in the Indian River School District, was founded in 1747 and has been known as Blackfoot Town, Dagsbury and Dagsborough. It was named for John Dagworthy (1721–1784), a brigadier general of the Sussex County Militia during the American Revolutionary War.

Geography

Dagsboro is located at 38°32′57″N 75°14′45″W / 38.54917°N 75.24583°W / 38.54917; -75.24583 (38.5492801, –75.2457443).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km), all land.

Transportation

Roads are the main method of travel to and from Dagsboro, and three state highways serve the town. U.S. Route 113 is the most significant of these, passing along the west edge of town on a north-south alignment. It connects northward to Georgetown and southward to Maryland. Delaware Route 20 and Delaware Route 26 also traverse the town, intersecting along Main Street in the center of town. DE 20 follows a west-northwest to east-southeast alignment, while DE 26 follows a more directly east-west alignment. Both roads connect to the coast as they head east, with DE 20 heading towards Fenwick Island and DE 26 traveling to Bethany Beach. The Delmarva Central Railroad's Dagsboro Industrial Track line passes north-south through Dagsboro.

Demographics

At the 2010 census there were 805 people, 364 households, and 222 families living in the town. The population density was 409.5 inhabitants per square mile (158.1/km). There were 364 housing units at an average density of 195.7 per square mile (75.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 85.6% White, 6.6% African American, 1% from American Indian, 4.2% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.7%.

Of the 364 households 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.8% of households were one person and 28.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.98.

The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 15% 65 or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median household income was $49,167 and the median family income was $52.250. Males had a median income of $40,662 versus $32,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,949. About 10.2% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Landmarks

Built in 1755 and named for Prince George (later King George III), Prince George's Chapel is one of the oldest churches in the United States as well as one of the oldest buildings in Dagsboro. It became part of the Church of England's Worcester Parish on June 30, 1757, when the area was still part of Maryland. General Dagworthy, who died in 1829, is buried in the chapel's cemetery. Major renovations came in 1967 with the property's purchase by the State of Delaware. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Clayton Theatre opened in Dagsboro on February 2, 1949, with One Touch of Venus, a film featuring Ava Gardner, on its single screen. The theater was named for John M. Clayton, a former United States senator and Secretary of State. In the 1950s, a soda fountain operated as Clayton Cut Rate Luncheonette in a storefront adjoining the theater. Although the Clayton now uses digital projection equipment, it continues doing business as Delaware's last single-screen theater.

Dagsboro is the site of a new botanic garden, the Delaware Botanic Gardens, featuring a meadow designed by internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf, which opened to the public in 2020.

Education

Dagsboro is in the Indian River School District.

Notable people

• John M. Clayton, Senator and U. S. Secretary of State
• John Dagworthy, a military leader during the American Revolutionary War
• Alfred Wells, former US Congressman
• William H. Wells, former United States Senator and Secretary of State

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Dagsboro, Delaware
3. "2010 Census Data". Delaware Census State Data Center. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
4. "Dagsboro, DE History". Cooper Realty Associates. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
5. ^ The Story of Dagsboro Delaware. Coastal Point, LLC. 2014. pp. 4–10.
6. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 98.
7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
8. "Delmarva Central Railroad". Carload Express. November 8, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
12. The Story of Dagsboro Delaware, pp. 6, 8.
13. The Story of Dagsboro Delaware, pp. 8, 30.
14. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sussex County, DE" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 15, 2021.

v t e Municipalities and communities of Sussex County, Delaware, United States
County seat: Georgetown
Cities	Lewes Milford‡ Rehoboth Beach Seaford
Towns	Bethany Beach Bethel Blades Bridgeville Dagsboro Delmar Dewey Beach Ellendale Fenwick Island Frankford Georgetown Greenwood Henlopen Acres Laurel Millsboro Millville Milton Ocean View Selbyville Slaughter Beach South Bethany
CDPs	Lincoln Long Neck
Former towns	Nanticoke City North Laurel Roxana
Unincorporated communities	Adams Crossroads Adamsville‡ Angola Argos Corner Atlanta Bacons Bayard Belltown Blanchard Broad Creek Broadkill Beach Bunting Cannon Carpenters Corner Cedar Beach Cedar Creek Clarksville Concord Cool Spring Cross Keys Fairmount Federalsburg Flea Hill Gravel Hill Gumboro Harbeson Hollymount Hollyville Indian Beach Jimtown Johnson Lowe Middleford Midway Mission Nassau North Shores Oakley Oak Orchard Old Furnace Omar Overbrook Pepperbox Phillips Hill Pinetown Portsville Primehook Beach Quakertown Redden Reliance‡ Scotts Corner Shortly Staytonville Stockley Sussex Shores Sycamore Ward Warwick Wescoats Corner Westwoods Whaleys Corners Whitesville Williamsville Wood Branch Woodland Zoar
Hundreds	Baltimore Broad Creek Broadkill Cedar Creek Dagsboro Georgetown Gumboro Indian River Lewes & Rehoboth Little Creek Nanticoke Northwest Fork Seaford
Ghost towns	Banning New Market Owens Station Saint Johnstown
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Delaware portal United States portal

• Towns in Sussex County, Delaware
• Towns in Delaware
• Salisbury metropolitan area