Town of Slaughter Beach

Slaughter Beach was founded in 1681 and incorporated in 1931.  How Slaughter

Beach got its name has been debated over the years.  Early maps show a small creek

named Slaughter Creek, which flowed through the marsh from the Cedar Creek south and

emptied into the Delaware Bay just north of Prime Hook Beach.  Just to the southwest

of the town is an area called “Slaughter Neck”.   Neck was/is a term used to describe

upland areas between two key boundary areas.    Another theory is the first postmaster

for this locality had the last name of Slaughter.


The naming of Slaughter Beach has two more colorful stories.  In the spring and early

summer horseshoe crabs come ashore to spawn.   Wave action flips the crabs over where

they are left to die in the hot sun, thus the “Slaughter of the Crabs.”  The most

colorful story has to be of Indians attacking early settlers in the area.  Upon

hearing the news, the leader of the settlers arranged a meeting on the beach with the

Indian Chief so the settlers “God” could “speak” to the Indians and make peace.  The

leader had the Indians gather around their “God”, a cannon, and fired the cannon

killing all the Indians – thus the “Slaughter of the Indians.”

Like the naming of Slaughter Beach, the town has gone through many changes.  Slaughter

Beach in the early years was primarily a resort for Milford area residents during the

summer months.  In its hey-day, Slaughter Beach had a dance hall, hotels and a

boardwalk.   With the advance of the automobile and road systems, more and more people

started traveling to the Rehoboth area and Slaughter Beach turned into a sleepy little

seasonal fishing village.  Present day Slaughter Beach has a full time population of

198 people with a much higher summertime population.  Slaughter Beach also has become

much more of a year-round community for part time residents looking to escape for

brief periods from the “real world.”