Rehoboth Beach History

R ehoboth Beach was founded in 1873 as the Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association by the Rev. Robert W. Todd, of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church located in Wilmington, Delaware. The town's humble beginning was as a site for Methodist camp meetings in the spirit of similar resorts on the New Jersey shore, such as Ocean Grove, NJ. The Camp Meeting Association disbanded in 1881 and in 1891, the location was incorporated by the Delaware General Assembly as "Henlopen City", shortly after which it was renamed to Rehoboth Beach.

According to information from the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society, before the Rev. Robert W. Todd formed the Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association, the earliest settlers to the area were Native Americans who traveled to the beach in the summer months to enjoy the cool breezes and abundant seafood. Between 1650 and 1675, English and Dutch settlers put down roots here and the area became home to many farmers and members of William Penn's earliest legislatures. Later owners participated in the American War of Independence.

A Name of Biblical Proportions
The name "Rehoboth" is a name of Biblical appellation, meaning "place (or space) for all". Also named after Rehovot, a city in Israel (In modern Hebrew, the same means 'streets'). The name is strikingly fitting, due to Rehoboth Beach's ability to blend its distinct communities. Rehoboth appears four times in the Old Testament as, variously, a well dug by Isaac (Wadi er-Ruheibeh) (Gen. 26:22), a city on the Euphrates River (Gen. 36:37; 1 Chr. 1:48), and one of the cities of Asshur (Gen. 10:11). Consequently, the name had obvious appeal to the religious founders of the city.

A Modern Vacation Paradise
The town often bills itself as "The Nation's Summer Capital" due to the fact that it is a frequent summer vacation destination for Washington, D.C. residents as well as visitors from Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Vacationers are drawn for many reasons, including the town's charm, artistic appeal, and nightlife.

Built on Diversity
Always famous for its beaches, wooden boardwalk, eclectic shops, amusements, and sporting activities, today's Rehoboth Beach is also known as one of the mid-Atlantic coast's popular gay and lesbian getaways because of the large number of gay-owned and operated businesses and because of the gay-frequented stretch of beach near Queen Street, known as Poodle Beach.

Delmarva's Diversion
Rehoboth Beach serves as an alternative to nearby and much more developed Ocean City, Maryland. Rehoboth Beach, together with the towns of Lewes, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island, comprises Delaware's beach resorts and is Sussex County's most densely populated and fastest-growing area.

Retiring in Rehoboth
Reader's Digest named the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk as "Best of America". This celebration of the quirky, amazing and truly extraordinary was featured in the May 2006 issue.[Cite] Additionally, AARP has named Rehoboth Beach as one of five dream towns as "Best Places to Retire".

Events in Rehoboth
The town has several festivals including the Sea Witch Festival, the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, and the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival every year. The town once hosted the Rehoboth Beach Pirates and Sea Hawks of the now defunct Eastern Shore Baseball League which launched many famoud baseball players into the major leagues. Another rumour you will hear around town is that Rehoboth beach was the location of the first beauty pageant in America, and one of the judges was Thomas Edison.