The History of Middletown Revealed in New Book

Feb. 26, 2014 - PRLog -- Middletown is the next addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series. The pictorial history by local author Shauna McVey, with the Middletown Historical Society celebrates the Delaware town’s past.

Through stunning images, this pictorial history depicts the evolution of Middletown. The area was initially just a stop for traders about halfway along a cart road between the Appoquinimink Creek in Delaware and the Bohemia River in Maryland, but soon became a profitable, farming community. Author Shauna McVey, takes readers through the town’s history since its incorporation in 1861 to its attraction as a suburb in the 1980s.

Middletown depicts how the area developed its own industry of trade and agriculture and became locally famous for crops such as peaches. The community’s charm and agricultural roots still remain, and thousands flock to the town annually to celebrate its heritage at the Middletown Historical Society’s Olde-Tyme Peach Festival. McVey hopes that the book “will connect longtime and newer residents of Middletown with the town’s rich history and inspire others to appreciate its roots.”

Highlights of Middletown include:

•Information on how Middletown was home to United States Treasurer, Dorothy A. Elston.
•The story of “Chopper Charlie” who got his name from chopping off the long hair of young men, at the request of their parents, in the 1970s.
•Images of Middletown’s trolley, which was not an economic success and was dissembled after a few years in operation.
•Details on how Middletown was one of the first towns in Delaware to have electricity.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.