No. 9. Improved value of Land in JVewcastle co., Delaware. 



289 



From the Delaware Journal. 



Improved value of Land in NeAVcastle 

 County, Delaware. 



Messrs. Editors, — At^-^the last annual 

 meeting of the Newcastle county Agricul- 

 tural Society, Dr. .T. W. Thompson, the 

 president, in his Address, stated, tiiat since 

 the commencement of this Society, real es- 

 . late of Newcastle county had increased in 

 value more than half a million of dollars, — 

 $500,000. After seeing that statement in 

 public prints, I thought I would make some 

 inquiry into the probability of the truth of 

 the statement. 



I find that about the year 1830, J. M 

 Smith purchased near 500 acres of land, 

 the same that he now occupies, for less than 

 two thousand dollars, or say about four dol- 

 lars per acre ; Mr. Smith refused thirty doL 

 lars per acre, in 1840. Mr. Smith pur- 

 chased one other large tract of land east of, 

 and adjoining the same, of J. A. Bayard, for 

 six dollars per acre, in 1833; Mr. Smith sold 

 William Stoops 500 hundred acres of this 

 tract in 1837 or '38, for ten dollars per acre; 

 in 1839, Mr. Stoops sold Joseph Williams 

 250 acres of this same land for si.xteen dol 

 lars per acre. I have been informed that 

 Mr. Williams has since refused twenty-five 

 dollars per acre for this land. These tracts 

 of land are on Bohemia Manor, St. George's 

 hundred. In 1832, the late William Caulk 

 offered J. Jones a tract of about 200 acres 

 for one thousand dollars. Mr. Caulk soon 

 after sold the same tract to J. McConaghue, 

 for fifteen hundred dollars; Mr. McConag- 

 hue cut off about as much wood as paid for 

 the land, and in 1839 or '40, sold the same 

 farm to D. S. Craven, for five thousand dol- 

 lars. G. W. Karsner purchased a farm ad- 

 joining the last mentioned fiirm in 1831, or 

 '32, for which he paid about ten dollars per 

 acre ; Mr. K. sold a large quantity of wood 

 from this tract, and has long since refused 

 fifty dollars per acre, this is near the Trapp, 

 and is underlaid with the best green sand. 

 William Bowman purchased a tract adjoin- 

 ing the same, for less than twenty dollars 

 per acre, in 1836; it has been highly im- 

 proved with lime and marl from G. W. Kars- 

 ner's pits. Gassaway Watkins gathered 35 

 bushels of wheat per acre, on a field of seven 

 acres, adjoining the same, by similar treat- 

 ment. 



There have been no recent sales of land 

 in this immediate neighbourhood — the reader 

 must judge of its value from its products; a 

 few years since, the late John Barney pur- 

 chased Long Island, a large tract of marsh 

 and upland, bounded by the Delaware Bay 

 and Appoquinimink creek, for which he paid 

 less than eight dollars per acre ; this land is 



beautifully situated and highly improved — 

 and far exceeds the celebrated island of Blan- 

 nerhassett, in value, health and beauty — the 

 reader must fix a value on this. I have 

 crossed St. George's Hundred from West to 

 East — I will now carry you from South to 

 North. W. H. Crawford purchased the 

 Middletown tavern a few years ago, with a 

 few acres of land, not exceeding ten, for the 

 whole of which he paid not more than twelve 

 hundred dollars. JVIr. Crawford has added 

 some thirty acres to the same, from a farm 

 adjoining, for which he paid a few years ago 

 not more than twelve dollars per acre, and 

 has lately sold the same to R. A. Cochran, 

 for seven thousand dollars. Col. Joshua 

 Clayton purchased a tract of land in 1836 

 or '37, situated near Mount Pleasant, for 

 which he paid seven dollars per acre — he 

 was offered twenty dollars per acre, in 1842; 

 this tract was an unenclosed common, and 

 so it remains without any thing having been 

 done for it, except the taking off the best or 

 the timber. Its increased value is solely from 

 the improvement of the lands in its vicinity. 



I will leave St. George's Hundred and 

 pass over the Summit-bridge into Pencader 

 Hundred, — Welch tract. Here, James Bird 

 purchased a tract of three hundred and fifty 

 acres, some 15 or 20 years ago, for ten dol- 

 lars per acre ; Mr. Bird sold the same land 

 to Thomas Layman, about five years ago, 

 tor seven thousand dollars. Mr. Layman 

 has since sold this land for forirteen thou- 

 sand dollars — pretty good picking after 

 that bird. Henry Cazier paid eight dollars 

 the acre, for a tract of land adjoining the 

 same, some time since, which he has sold 

 within a year past, for fifty dollars per acre 

 — Mr. Cazier has some twelve hundred 

 acres, in adjoining tracts hereabout, which 

 are nearly surrounded by lands that have 

 been recently sold for, or would bring fifty 

 dollars per acre. 



I could give a good account of Old Ap- 

 poquinimink and Red Lion Hundreds, but I 

 have already said much more than I in- 

 tended. I must add, that the more highly 

 our lands are improved the greater is the 

 proportional increase in price. I have given 

 names in this case to enable doubting indi- 

 viduals to ascertain the truth of the state- 

 ment. I must also say, that our villages, 

 school houses, scholars, churches and mem- 

 bers of churches, and the morals, health and 

 general appearance of our people have all in- 

 creased about in the same ratio as our lands. 



St. George's Hundred contains 42,000 

 acres of land, and suppose we put the in- 

 crease of price at twelve dollars per acre, 

 which is low, it will be five hundred and 

 four thousand dollars i?i St. Georges Hun- 



