Town file
Port Penn, Delaware
Port Penn, Delaware (New Castle County, Delaware) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 165, "Sex Tape Bait" (2 April 2020). On the night of Sunday 30 September 1990, 22-year-old Julie Spencer left her mother's house in the Port Penn area of New Castle County, Delaware, with her roller skates over her shoulder.
- Town
- Port Penn
- County
- New Castle County
- State
- Delaware
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 165
- Approximate location
- 39.515, -75.581
Episode 165 / 2 April 2020 / 154 min / full
Sex Tape Bait
"We're going to Port Penn, Delaware, which is a very little place. It's in Newcastle County, Delaware here. Zip code 19731, area code 302." about 0:06:13
The case: Murder of Julie Spencer (September 1990); Plot to kill Alan Smith (1993 to 1994). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2020
- Population
- 310 people
- Median age
- 31
- Median household income
- $36,875
- Median home value
- $157,000
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,220
- Cost of living
- 94
- Religious
- about 47%
- Property crime
- ▲ double the national average
- Violent crime
- ▲ triple the national average
History, in brief
- The first Europeans there were the 1638 expedition of Peter Minowitz, arriving on the Swedish vessels Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nickel. about 0:06:41
- The Swedes laid out the settlement where modern-day Wilmington now stands. about 0:07:11
- A dispute followed between the Swedes and the Dutch over the land. about 0:07:22
- In 1640 New Sweden was founded a few miles south of Fort Christina. about 0:08:11
- In 1654 the Swedes held the west side of the Delaware River and met local Native Americans to reaffirm their purchase; the Dutch then gave their land to England. about 0:09:02
- In 1673 the Dutch attacked the territory and claimed it as their own again. about 0:09:26
- In 1763 Port Penn developed as a harbour town. about 0:09:43
- By the early 1800s grain and agricultural produce moved in and out of the port. about 0:09:49
- The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was built and shipping at Port Penn declined. about 0:09:58
- By the 1800s it had become a summer destination for people from the city, offering fine fishing and good bathing. about 0:10:29
- Camp meeting grounds and summer colonies lasted until a huge hurricane in 1933, during the Depression. about 0:11:12
- By the 1950s and 1960s overfishing, erosion and industrialisation had overwhelmed the area. about 0:11:31
- It is named after William Penn, who stopped by briefly. about 0:12:50
- Port Penn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. about 0:13:09
- In March 2020 the town was fighting a cease and desist order over cemeteries built over the well-water supply, with bodies buried without vaults or coffins feared to be contaminating the water. about 0:28:49
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A resident of eight years loves it: friendly people, miles of wetlands for the dog and for walking, many historic buildings, and the Cleaver House is free to live in for life if you renovate it. The only tavern in town is Kelly's."about 0:14:27
1 star
"Horrible: dark like a dungeon, a snotty and ignorant waitress, ignored for about ten minutes, so they got up and left."about 0:15:39
1 star
"Locals only: thirty minutes waiting for a drink while three people were served, two platters never arrived after forty minutes, and the barmaid said she forgot; the reviewer says go to the Augustine Inn for a better class of people."about 0:16:06
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- New Castle, Delaware11 miles
- Wilmington, Delaware15 miles
- Hockessin, Delaware19 miles
- Kenton, Delaware20 miles
- Cheswold, Delaware20 miles
- Claymont, Delaware21 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.