Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 9

187 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 TOWN OF Smyrna, Delaware A L E G A C Y O F S T R E N G T H F ounded in 1768, the Town of Smyrna in Kent County, Delaware was originally known as Duck Creek Crossroads. There are two accounts of the origins of the name Smyrna, one being that it is named after the Greek seaport. The other suggests that the community was so moved by a sermon given by Methodist preacher Frances Ashbury about a church in the Book of Revelation, that they felt compelled to give their community the same name. In either case, the town officially became Smyrna in 1806. Until the 1850s, the community was a prosperous port, shipping goods along Duck Creek. Smyrna continued as a center of agriculture though the 19th century, and today is home to 12,000 people – and a bevy of rapidly growing residential and industrial opportunities. Blessed with attractive heritage architecture and beautiful natural surroundings, Smyrna offers quaint, small town ambience with a deep connection to community. AT A GLANCE SMYRNA, DELAWARE WHAT: A growing historic community; population 12,000 WHERE: Kent County, Delaware WEBSITE: www.smyrna.delaware.gov