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The Historians: John Lofland, E. Millis Hurley, Willis Hammond, E. Dallas Hitchens, and Dave Kenton

Compiled by Linda Bennett White

The history of Slaughter Beach is intertwined with the history of Milford and the surrounding areas. Slaughter Beach has always been a resort area, with many of the lots and homes owned by Milford residents. Several people have been documenting the history of Milford, which pours over into the history of Slaughter Beach. This article documents what various historians have done to preserve the history of the entire area.

John Lofland, “The Bard of Milford” (1798-1849)

Engraved portrait of John Lofland, the Bard of Milford, in a dark coat and cravat
John Lofland, "The Bard of Milford"

John Lofland was noted for his prose but also created some historical notes. He appears to have initiated the legend of an Indian massacre as an explanation of the origin of Slaughter Beach. He was a prolific writer of poetry, but not known to be a noted historian. While this story has been widely circulated in Delaware it has never been documented as happening in Sussex County in any written account with references to people who lived in or near Cedar Creek Hundred or Milford Hundred (Kent County) from 1638-1900. Everyone loves an exciting story about the area, but this story has no basis in any of the histories or biographical accounts that were published by scholars over the past 150 years. His erroneous legend is noted as one of the earliest attempts to explain the origin of the name “Slaughter Beach”. The Slaughter Beach Historical Society has published an article “What’s in a Name?” that provides a solid theory of the origins of the name.

E. Millis Hurley (1909-1986)

Bird's eye map of Milford, Delaware in 1885 with the Parson Thorne Mansion, Christ Church, the Classical Academy, the Causey Mansion and the Milford Museum marked, and a key of 45 landmarks
Milford in 1885: the map from E. Millis Hurley's "A Walking Tour of Milford" (1952), with landmarks highlighted

Edward Millis Hurley was a lifelong resident and businessman, but was also known as a zealous student of Milford history and collector of historical artifacts. He compiled “A Walking Tour of Milford” that was published in 1952 for the Captain Jonathan Caldwell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, to commemorate the one hundred sixty-fifth anniversary of the founding of Milford. This consists of an 1885 map of Milford with landmarks highlighted, reprinted above. There is also a 48-page story attached to the tour, all of which is a downloadable PDF in the Delaware Archives as SC-26. He was also a founder of the Milford Historical Society, which still owns and manages the Parson Thorne Mansion. There was a room in the Milford Museum in the old post office that was dedicated as “The E. Millis Hurley Memorial Library” which was a research library devoted to Milford history. The Museum plans to recreate that library in their new location on 400 NE Front Street in Milford to recognize his invaluable contributions to local history.

E. Dallas Hitchens (1909-1987)

E. Dallas Hitchens in a suit and glasses beside the cover of his book The Milford, Delaware Area Before 1776
E. Dallas Hitchens and his book "The Milford, Delaware Area Before 1776"

In the years prior to America’s Bicentennial, Emory Dallas Hitchens was asked to learn and document what existed in Milford before 1776. He made a thorough search of land records and published a detailed book entitled “The Milford, Delaware Area Before 1776: Antecedents of Today’s Milfordians – Their Origins and Lives”. He co-authored a land records study with a book entitled “The Milford, Delaware, and Milford Area After 1776”, in collaboration with another Milford historian, E. Millis Hurley. Hitchens was a beloved history teacher in Dover in the 1940s. The February 26, 1976, issue of the Milford Chronicle featured a 19-page commemorative article on Milford history on the 200th anniversary of the United States, much of it written by Hitchens. He also contributed substantially to publications by the Milford Historical Society, such as “Milford Through the Years”, published in 1979, and various Milford Historical Society newsletters. Below is the inside cover page of “The Milford, Delaware, and Milford Area After 1776”, with signatures by E. Dallas Hitchens and E. Millis Hurley. This is recorded and available to download in the Delaware Archives under item KC-65-04.

Typed title page of Milford Delaware and Milford Area After 1776, a land records study of Upper Sussex and Lower Kent Co. Delaware, signed by E. Dallas Hitchens and E. Millis Hurley, Delaware State Archives
The signed title page of "Milford, Delaware, and Milford Area After 1776" (Delaware State Archives, KC-65-04)
Cover of Milford Through the Years, A Pictorial History of Milford, Delaware, with a photograph of a brick house among bare trees
"Milford Through the Years" (Milford Historical Society, 1979)

Willis Hammond (1896-1994)

Willis Hammond built one of the first cottages in Slaughter Beach in 1924, and that cottage has essentially remained as it was built originally, but was sold in 2026. The Slaughter Beach Historical Society has created a number of articles about his cottage and his documentation of history of the area.

We were fortunate to be able to connect with Willis’ family, who allowed us to scan and archive his personal notes about Slaughter Beach. The Delaware Archives has received a number of historical documents that were donated by Willis Hammond or his family, including early patents (grants), early deeds, and early property transfers involving his ancestors. These were recorded under Volume XVI No. 2, and the accessions list below details the donations so that researchers can locate the original records. For more information, the SBHS website, sbhistory.org has an article in “Meet Your Neighbors: The Willis Hammond Family” about the house and family, and a list of the scanned personal documents in the “Tidbits” section. These include hand-written notes about his life in the Slaughter Beach area.

Willis Hammond and his wife Sybil standing together in front of a window
Willis Hammond and his wife, Sybil
Accessions List of the Public Archives Commission, State of Delaware, Volume XVI No. 2, January 1967, listing a collection of documents presented by Mr. Willis Hammond of Milford
Delaware Public Archives Commission accessions list, Volume XVI No. 2, January 1967: the documents donated by Willis Hammond

David Kenton (born 1946)

Portrait of Dave Kenton in a tweed jacket and striped tie
Dave Kenton

David Kenton has dedicated part of his busy life to documenting history in the Milford and surrounding areas. He has been a recognized real estate agent for most of his life, primarily commercial real estate. Dave was involved with the Milford Historical Society, and wrote a number of their newsletters in the late 1990s and early 2000s, portraying several unpublished stories of the area.

In 2001, he published “Milford” as part of the “Images of America” series by Arcadia Publishing. In addition to that, Dave wrote several articles of detailed history about Slaughter Beach and surrounding areas that featured a number of present-day aerial photographs with details explaining historical notes. Using aerial photos for historical context is typical of his work, since Dave is an avid pilot as well.

Cover of Milford in the Images of America series by Dave Kenton, a sepia photograph of ten women in Edwardian dress on a porch
"Milford" (Images of America, Arcadia Publishing, 2001) by Dave Kenton

When Sussex County threw out many of the old Orphans Court maps, they were rescued by David Rutt, who moved them to his law offices in Georgetown. Dave took the time to go through those documents and take pictures of several maps to add to his detailed histories. He worked for a number of years at the Milford Museum, and retired as a former vice-president. He is still involved with the Museum as a consultant.

Dave was also instrumental in providing his extensive historical writings to the Slaughter Beach Historical Society. He provided invaluable access to his writings to be used by the SBHS in their research and articles. As the story comes full circle, Dave purchased and restored a vintage sleigh once owned by Willis Hammond, another noted historian. He proudly displays it on the porch of his home in Milford during the Christmas season. We are so thankful at the Slaughter Beach Historical Society that we have these dedicated historians that were so influential in documenting the history of the region.

A restored red vintage sleigh with black upholstery, strung with Christmas lights and holding wrapped gifts
The vintage sleigh once owned by Willis Hammond, restored by Dave Kenton

References:

Calendar Contest

Photos must be submitted between May 1st and Sept 1st. Winners will be announced in October. Please review contest rules below, before submitting photos.

Entries must be from residents of Slaughter Beach, homeowners or their visiting friends/family members.

  • All photos must be in digital, high-resolution format and taken in the town of Slaughter Beach.
  • Previously winning photos are not permitted.
  • Photos can be in color or black & white.
  • SBHS reserves the right to crop, revise, or publish photos.
  • Entries can be of architecture, nature, or animals. If people are included it is preferred they are non-identifiable; otherwise a general photo-release waiver must be signed and kept on file.
  • There is a limit of 3 photo submissions per person for consideration. Each entrant is limited to the possibility of one winning photo per calendar year.
  • Three anonymous judges will choose the winning entries.
  • Submissions will remain anonymous to the judges. Judges’ decisions are final.
  • SBHS retains only non-exclusive rights to the pictures submitted to SBHS for the purpose of entry into the calendar contest. Winning photos will include the photographer’s name.