Cape Henlopen - Early History

Early History

Originally spelled Cape Hinlopen, Cape Henlopen is named after Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen who was a prominent Dutch trader. Cape Hinlopen was New Netherland's most southern border on the 37th parallel north.

In 1620, Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen became Cornelis Jacobsen Mey's (the now washed out Cape Cornelius and the incorrectly spelled Cape May) business partner in the ships Blijde Boodschap (en. "Joyful Message") and Bever which focused on exploration and trade with the Indians in the Zuidt Rivier (Delaware River) in 1620.

The area between the 38th and 40th parallels (i.e., the Delaware Bay area) as well as the Delaware River from north to south had previously been surveyed and charted by Cornelis Hendricksz from Monnikendam on the ship "Onrust" in 1614, 1615 and 1616. From August until November 1616, the New Netherland Company, which had an exclusive trading patent for the New Netherland territory between 40° and 45° latitude, had tried unsuccessfully to obtain an exclusive patent from the States General of the Dutch Republic for the territory between 38° and 40° latitude.

Cornelis Jacobsz May was also unable to trade in the South River (Delaware River) at the exclusion of competing Dutch companies. Those Dutch companies came in conflict with one another but were eventually able to reach agreement in New Netherland. Discord arose again which was settled, finally, by a judgment of arbitrators at Amsterdam on December 23, 1623. The 38th and 39th parallels region came under the final jurisdiction of the Dutch West India Company on behalf of the States General with the delivery of the first settlers to Governors Island in New Netherland in 1624. Those settlers were subsequently spread out onto Verhulsten Island (Burlington Island) in the Delaware, at Fort Orange (now Albany) in the Hudson River and at the mouth of the Connecticut River in order to finalize the claim to New Netherland as a North American province according to the Law of Nations (Hugo Grotius).

In 1782 during the American Revolutionary War, the young Continental Navy Lieutenant Joshua Barney fought with a British squadron near Cape Henlopen at the Battle of Delaware Bay. Barney's force of three sloops defeated a Royal Navy frigate, sloop-of-war and a Loyalist privateer. The battle ended with the loss of two British vessels and one American.