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All the United States Delaware Lewes The Cannonball House

The Cannonball House

The historic home still shows the scars from a little run-in with the British in 1813.

Lewes, Delaware

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Cannonball House sign   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Cannonball House sign   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
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Bunks of the same style on the British ship   neon astrolabe / Atlas Obscura User
Painted oyster shell   neon astrolabe / Atlas Obscura User
Model of a local ship wreck   neon astrolabe / Atlas Obscura User
A beautiful masthead installed on the staircase   neon astrolabe / Atlas Obscura User
Original cannonball that struck the home’s foundation   neon astrolabe / Atlas Obscura User
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The famed cannonball that may have given the Cannonball House its name.   ianlefk / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Not many things that get hit with a cannonball live to tell the tale. That is one claim to fame for the small town of Lewes, Delaware. Lewes is notable for its many historic homes, but perhaps the most unique is the Cannonball House on Front Street near the canal. 

The Cannonball House is so named due to the battle scars it bears from a little run-in with the British in 1813. During the Bombardment of Lewes, the British attacked the town and kept the canal front under siege, but eventually were defeated with the help of two forts that once sat in the park across the street. The Cannonball House was hit, and that same cannonball remains lodged in its side today. 

Thanks to the Lewes Historical Society, these historical sites still stand today for visitors to experience. The Cannonball House now acts as the local Maritime Museum, home to artifacts from the town’s nautically rich history, such as a Fresnel Lens from the Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse in the Delaware Bay.

Update: As of May 2023 the cannonball is missing from the wall only a dent to be seen.

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dogfishhead

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thebarrister, mromaine, pbg3083, travelcoast34...

  • thebarrister
  • mromaine
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  • Deniseg2266
  • ianlefk

Published

May 24, 2017

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The Cannonball House
118 Front St
Lewes, Delaware
United States
38.775932, -75.139388
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