Before Broad Creek was dammed to create
Chipman's Pond, worshippers were gathering at the plain,
wooden church on the creek's southern shore a mile east of
the then bustling town of Laurel. Laurel, founded in 1683 and
incorporated in 1883, is home to more historic buildings than
any town in Delaware with 800 on the National Historic
Record.
Laurel was plotted in 1802 after the sale of
an Indian reservation along the Broad Creek. It was named for the
laurel trees growing along the creek's banks. The town has produced
five governors of the State of Delaware: * Nathaniel Mitchel,
1801-1805 * John Collins, 1821-1825 * William Barkley Cooper,
1841-1845 * William Ross, 1851 - 1855 * Elbert Nortrand Carvel,
1949-1953 and 1961-1965
Old Christ Church was established in 1770 as a "Chapel of Ease" of
Stepney Parish, Maryland. The church was completed in 1772 by
builder Robert Holston, at a total cost of 510 Pounds. Old Christ
Church is one of just a dozen structures of its kind that were
constructed during the pre-Revolutionary War era that remain along
the East Coast. One of the more notable individuals resting in the
church yard is former Delaware Governor and Revolutionary War
officer Nathaniel Mitchell. His inscribed stone, located near the
southeast corner of the church, should be of interest to anyone
with an interest in history. _Location Description:_ Caches is
located within a few feet of the south shore of Chipman's Pond.