The Assawoman Canal was constructed in 1891 and its purpose was to be part of an intercoastal waterway connecting Lewes and Rehoboth Beach with Virginia. The proposed inland waterway was to stretch from the Chincoteague Bay to the Delaware Bay, to move goods from Virginia to Delaware without venturing out into the Atlantic Ocean.  Although the proposed inland waterway was repealed by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1905 as being too expensive, a portion of the inland waterway network was completed three miles inland from the ocean and resulted in the creation of the Assawoman Canal.

Explore many of the communities surrounding the Assawoman Canal: Bay Forest Club, Bethany Preserve, Briarcliffe, Grandview Shores, Oceanview Beach Club, Solitudes On Whites Creek, Sunset Harbour, and more!

The Assawoman Canal has a unique connection with the Town of Ocean View. The three mile section of the canal from South Bethany to Whites Creek was dug by Italian immigrant laborers. One of the laborers died during construction and was buried in the Ocean View Presbyterian Church Cemetery. The tombstone heading in the cemetery simply reads “Italian.”

During the turn of the Twentieth Century, travelers on the Assawoman Canal could board a shallow draft motorboat to make their journey.  In 1910 a loop canal was dredged from the Assawoman Canal to the First Street Dock in Bethany Beach. Prior to the loop canal being constructed, travelers to the area would have to make the final leg of the journey in a two horse drawn bus through deep sand. The Assawoman Canal contributed to promoting tourism between Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach. (Source: The Town of Ocean View)

There’s nothing better than a beach vacation—except actually living at the Beach!  Contact Us and let us show you just how easy it is to make the beach your home!

Photo Credits: This photo was taken by our own Angela Yerton while kayaking up the canal.