Native Americans

When European explorers began arriving in the 1500s and 1600s, about 8,000 Native Americans lived in the region. They called themselves the Lenni-lenapes , which means "original people." Many Lenni-Lenape villages lay along the Delaware River , so the early European settlers called the people the Delaware.

The land provided everything the Native Americans needed. In the forests, Lenni-Lenape hunters killed deer, squirrels, foxes, raccoon, mink, and bears for meat and furs. Lenni-Lenape women planted beans, squash, and corn in the fertile soil. The Lenni-Lenape would pick wild cranberries, blueberries, and strawberries. In the spring, they traveled to the seashore, where they enjoyed the plentiful fish and shellfish. On their journeys, they created many trails that were later made into roads by European settlers.

The Lenni-Lenapes lived in villages of round wigwams, one for each family. The wigwams were made from saplings, cut and set into the ground to form a circle, with the tops tied together. Bark and grass covered the framework, and a hole at the top let smoke from the cooking fire escape. There were not many conflicts between the Native Americans of this area and the settlers, mostly because of the influence of the Quakers, who were pacifists.