Town file
Laurel, Delaware
Laurel, Delaware (Sussex County, Delaware) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 232, "A Strange Way To Torture" (15 July 2021). Laurel is a small town in Sussex County, in south-western Delaware, about two hours and fifteen minutes from both Washington and Philadelphia.
- Town
- Laurel
- County
- Sussex County
- State
- Delaware
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 232
- Approximate location
- 38.571, -75.571
Episode 232 / 15 July 2021 / 159 min / full
A Strange Way To Torture
"Laurel, Delaware, south-western Delaware, about two hours and fifteen minutes from Washington and from Philadelphia, in Sussex County." about 0:06:08
The case: Murder of John M. Horseman (August 1977); Murder of Lewis Horseman (November 27th, 1976). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2021
- Population
- 4,147
- Median age
- 24.3
- Median household income
- just over $34,000
- Median home value
- $155,900
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $960 a month
- Cost of living
- 91
- Religious
- 37.7%
- Property crime
- ▲ about double
- Violent crime
- ▲ triple
History, in brief
- The name Laurel is believed to come from England. about 0:08:39
- Southern Delaware saw a sweet potato boom from the 1900s until the 1940s. about 0:08:55
- Potato houses were two-storey wood-framed structures, heated with coal or wood stoves, holding sweet potatoes from October through February at a constant 50 degrees Fahrenheit. about 0:10:00
- Laurel was incorporated as a town in 1883 and was one of the wealthiest towns in the state. about 0:13:56
- It had 11 general stores with only 2,500 people, seven grocery stores, clothing stores, drug stores, carriage factories and butcher shops, all thriving on sweet potato money. about 0:14:02
- West Laurel is one of Delaware's oldest free black communities and dates back to the 1790s. about 0:14:27
- In the 1870s Captain Theodore Marsh settled in West Laurel, bought property, broke it into plots and sold them to his shipmates. about 0:14:31
- Laurel once hosted the Laurel Blue Hens of the Eastern Shore Baseball League. about 0:14:47
- The Laurel High School football team has won three Division 2 state championships. about 0:15:00
The reviews read out
3 stars
"Not the greatest place to live, but the community as a whole is great; very few restaurants or businesses to work at, though everything is relatively close together."about 0:15:06
3 stars
"There is nothing attracting people or businesses, so many residents end up in trouble with the law or using drugs."about 0:15:36
3 stars
"A new resident of a year says there are not many stores or restaurants and wishes there were a Wawa instead of two Royal Farms."about 0:16:00
3 stars
"A lifelong resident says Laurel comes together as a family and wishes the town were recognised more often."about 0:16:33
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Bridgeville, Delaware11 miles
- Houston, Delaware24 miles
- Harrington, Delaware24 miles
- Ocean City, Maryland30 miles
- Easton, Maryland30 miles
- Pocomoke City, Maryland35 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.