Delaware
Delaware history from News Journal archives May 3-9: train crash kills 4
Take a boat ride to Fort Delaware in the Delaware River’s Pea Patch Island
Take a boat ride to Fort Delaware, once a bastion of military defense and a prison camp during the Civil War, on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.
The Delaware history column features excerpts from The News Journal archives including The Morning News and The Evening Journal. See the archives at delawareonline.com.
May 3, 1926, The Evening Journal
Thousands attend funeral of train collision victims at Barratt’s Chapel
Editor’s note: This report also has excerpts about the collision from the April 29, 1926, issue of The Evening Journal.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilburn B. Friedel and daughters Ruth, 14, and Grace, 11, who were killed Wednesday evening when a train struck their automobile at a crossing near Felton, were buried at Barratt’s Chapel yesterday afternoon.
It was the first time in the history of this church known throughout the country as the cradle of Methodism that four members of the same family have been buried at the same time.
It was also the largest attended funeral in the history of the old chapel. Thousands of persons from all sections of the county and state were in attendance….
Their third daughter, Delma, aged 16 years, who was the only occupant of the car to survive, is still in critical condition in the Milford Hospital.
The son of the deceased couple, Wilburn Jr., 22, who was visiting in New York at the time of the accident, was present at the services.
Mr. Friedel was a farmer living two miles from Felton. He and his family had been visiting his mother, Mrs. Effie Friedel, and were on their way home when the accident happened at the Delaware Railroad crossing just east of Felton.
His mother’s home is but a short distance from crossing. She, with a daughter, was standing on the porch of her home and had just waved good-bye as the locomotive crashed into the automobile….
The crossing is protected with warning signs. The express was northbound. It is thought that Mr. Friedel had just temporarily glanced back to his mother’s home and failed to look down the track before starting across….
The train, known as the American Express Special D-20, left Delmar at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon and was due in Philadelphia at 9:05 that night….
According to employees of the railroad company, the engineer had sounded his whistle on approaching the crossing and the bell was ringing at the time of the collision.
Following the crash, the engineer brought his train to a stop and the task of investigating the tragedy began. The train was delayed for more than an hour….
The railroaders in charge were not detained but were ordered to appear at the inquest….
The funeral services in the old chapel were crowded to the doors. Scores stood in the aisles and around the walls, but not more than one-tenth of the people in attendance could get inside. The others stood quietly in the churchyard until the services were over and the bodies were brought to the graveyard for interment….
Services were conducted by the Rev. D.J. Moore, pastor of Felton M.E. Church, and he was assisted by the Rev. E.H. Collins of Harrington and the Rev. H.B. Kelso of Dover….
Dr. Moore alluded to the fact that the victims were regular attendants and interested in the church. He did not refer to the accident itself but drew lessons from the uncertainty of life and the necessity for being prepared for death….
May 6, 1976, The Morning News
$54,500 traded for $2,725 in armored car money drop
An “honest” Delawarean, who, has apparently been staring at a pile of $54,500 in unmarked, small denomination bills since last Friday, turned his find over to police yesterday.
The man, identified by New Castle County Police only as “an anonymous citizen of Delaware,” collected a reward of $2,725 for returning the cash, which fell out of a Purolator Courier armored truck when it hit a bump on U.S. 202 and a door flew open Friday about 7 a.m.
Lt. Richard LeCates said the man telephoned police Wednesday at about 8 a.m., and said he was bringing the money in. Two hours later, he walked into police headquarters and plopped the moneybags on a detective’s desk.
“It was all there,” LeCates said.
As many as 100 passersby saw a man pick up the two cloth bags of money, and Pennsylvania State Police have been questioning witnesses to learn the man’s identity….
Hoping for more information, police asked the Delaware press to publish the story….
May 9, 2006, The News Journal
New Castle County to increase homebuilding fee 500% for fire service
Looking to cope with rapid housing growth, New Castle County is poised to increase by more than 500% a homebuilding fee that helps pay for new fire stations and equipment.
An ordinance would increase the impact fee from $84 to $510 for a detached single-family home. The fee is paid by developers and passed on to buyers to expand volunteer fire and rescue services….
County Council’s approval of the change could help volunteer fire companies that have applied to the county for money from the impact fee fund but are blocked by a backlog….
The county has collected $1.75 million since the fee was imposed seven years ago, but there is a backlog of $4.75 million for projects that have been approved and are waiting for funding….
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
Explaining the Delaware Court System
Delaware’s court system is comprised of different branches. Some of them have their own area of jurisdiction and function. 6/4/25
A 30-year-old man has been indicted in the killing of his grandmother, Delaware State Police said.
The grandmother, 72-year-old Elizabeth Fritchey, lived for 12 days after Dempsey Fritchey assaulted her inside the Hyatt House Lewes / Rehoboth Beach hotel on Jan. 29, police said. This is the first time police have publicly acknowledged the woman’s death.
Dempsey Fritchey was indicted by a Sussex County grand jury on April 13 on a charge of first-degree murder, police said. He remains in the Delaware Department of Correction’s custody.
What happened
The Fritcheys were staying at the Lewes-area hotel, located at 17254 Five Points Square, Jan. 29 when police said he began assaulting his grandmother – striking her with his hands and feet.
He then went to the lobby about 5:45 p.m. and told hotel staff that he’d killed his grandmother, police said.
Arriving officers found Dempsey Fritchey near the hotel lobby. He “told troopers that he may have killed his grandmother.”
Troopers went to the Fritcheys’ room, where police said they found the grandmother. She was unconscious and had injuries to her face and head.
Troopers provided her with medical aid until EMS arrived. She was then taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
She died on Feb. 10 from the injuries she received during the assault, police said.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
Here are some ways you can save on gas
Here are some ways you can save on gas. 12/26/25
After brief respite from increasing gas prices, the trend has reversed − and gas prices rose nearly 30 cents in a single week in Delaware.
Delaware’s 29-cent increase week over week is even greater than the national increase, AAA said. The national average was 27 cents higher on April 30 than April 23.
Gas prices are the highest they’ve been in four years, since late July 2022, AAA said.
Here’s this week’s gas price breakdown as we head into the weekend.
DE, PA, NJ, MD national gas price averages
- National average: $4.30 on April 30. This is 27 cents higher than last week and $1.12 higher than a year ago.
- Delaware average: $4.16 on April 30. This is 29 cents higher than last week and $1.17 higher than one year ago.
- Pennsylvania average: $4.11 on April 30. This is 22 cents higher than last week and 97 cents higher than a year ago.
- Southern New Jersey average: $4.25 on April 30. This is 38 cents higher than last week and $1.28 higher than a year ago.
- Maryland average: $4.21 on April 30. This is 23 cents higher and $1.12 higher than a year ago.
Why are gas prices so high?
Once again, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is playing an outsized role in the increase, AAA said.
But with summer on the horizon, gas is also more in demand.
“As motorists grapple with pain at the pump due to rising crude oil prices, increased seasonal demand and the switchover to more expensive summer blended gasoline are seasonal factors pushing gas prices higher this time of year,” said Jana Tidwell, AAA spokesperson.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com.
Why is Delaware known as ‘The First State’?
Delaware is known as ‘The First State,’ Here’s why.
Given its historical importance, It is fitting the First Sate — Delaware — will play an integral role in celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
Delaware 250, the organization overseeing Delaware’s celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, and the federal America250 organization set up a series of celebratory events in and around Delaware for the rest of 2026.f
Whether you’re a history buff or want to check out the Fourth of July fireworks show, there’s no shortage of America250 events in the First State to out. Here are a few.
Fireworks in Dover, historical reenactments in Bear highlight DE’s 250 celebration
Delaware 250 arranged over 50 America250 celebrations which range from storytelling to colonial cocktail classes.
Here are a few can’t-miss America250 events to check out in Delaware:
- Dover During the Revolution: 10:30 a.m. Saturday May 2; Delaware Public Archives, Dover
- Fireside chat with A Founding Mother authors Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, 5 p.m. Saturday May 3; Lewes Public Library, Lewes
- In Common Cause: Delaware’s Homefront in the Revolutionary War, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6; Georgetown Public Library, Georgetown
- Separation Day 2026 Celebration: 6 p.m. Friday, June 12; New Castle battery Park, New Castle
Delaware will host several fireworks displays to celebrate America’s 250th birthday:
- Dover Days Fireworks 93rd Anniversary: 5 p.m. Friday, May 1; The Green, Dover
- USA 250th Anniversary fireworks show: at dusk on Saturday, May 30; Legislative Mall, Dover
- Fourth of July fireworks: 6 p.m. Saturday, July 4; University of Delaware Athletic Complex, Newark
Freedom 250 events in, around Delaware
Delawareans are within a one-tank trip distance of enjoying several Freedom 250 Semiquincentennial events in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Freedom 250 suggests 16 ways you can celebrate America’s 250th birthday, and here are a few of the best ones:
- Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving: 8 a.m. Sunday, May 17; National Mall, Washington, DC
- Salute To America 250 Celebration and Fireworks: at dusk on Saturday, July 4; National Mall, Washington, DC
- IndyCar Washington D.C. Street Race: 10 a.m. Sunday, August 23; Washington, DC
Is ‘America250’ and ‘Freedom 250’ the same thing?
America250 is the national, nonpartisan effort to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Congress created the Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016 to plan the celebrations, and the America250 organization is now working with states, museums, local groups and nonprofits on a slate of events meant to help Americans reflect on the nation’s past, celebrate its present and plan for the future.
Freedom 250 is a White House-led initiative to spark interest and create officially sanctioned events related to America’s Semisesquicentennial celebration.
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending, breaking and service-related topics across the Mid-Atlantic region for the USA Today Network.
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