Hockessin’s History

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Sadly, Joe Lake passed away in 2021. A memorial service on June 28 of that year highlighted his many contributions.

Citizens in northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania were very active on the Underground Railroad during the 1800s up through the Civil War. Amobi’s great grandmother was a slave down in Mississippi. Others among her ancestors were slaves in North Carolina and South Carolina.

According to Amobi, “Hockessin was one of the main sites for the Underground Railroad in the north. Thomas Garrett assisted many escaping slaves through the area.”

Amobi said that Garrett married a Mendenhall, whose family is linked with the popular Mendenhall Inn just across the state line. An exhibit showcases local “stationmasters” on this railroad, which never posted a schedule.

The Society owns the Lamborn Library—also known as Delaware Old Public School #29—just up the road from Tweed’s Tavern. Old Public School #29 was built circa 1868-1870 as a one-room school-

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