DeVries Monument Restoration Begins
November 26, 2025/
A long-planned restoration is underway for the state monument honoring what many consider the most consequential event in Delaware’s history. The deVries Monument, located near the Roosevelt Inlet on Pilottown Road in Lewes, marks the 1631 Dutch colony whose brief existence helped lead to Delaware becoming a separate state. The Delaware Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs and the Greater Lewes Foundation are overseeing the redesign, created by Vernacular Landscaping, to improve accessibility, safety, and interpretive signage. Mark Chura, Project Manager for the Greater Lewes Foundation, said work at the site began November 3rd and will continue through the end of the year, depending on material availability. Lewes in Bloom will provide landscaping services, with new plantings next spring. The updated site will play a key role in Lewes’ 400th anniversary of the deVries colony in 2031.