Highest point in Delaware

For many years, there has been a question in the minds of some Delawareans as to whether Delaware's highest elevation is Centreville or on Ebright Road.

The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) at the University of Delaware, through its relationship to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has determined that the highest monumented spot in Delaware is located on Ebright Road, near the Pennsylvania state line. Ebright Road is north of Namaans Road, east of route 202.

The Ebright Road benchmark (NGS disk EBRIGHT AZI) was found to be 447.85 feet above sea level. Many people consider Centreville, Delaware to be the highest point in the state; however, a benchmark at Centreville has an elevation of only 445.58 feet making the Ebright Azimuth disk more than two feet higher.

Additional surveying by NGS and DGS personnel and 2007 LiDAR-derived contours indicate that areas just west of Ebright Road are at least two feet higher than the Ebright Azimuth benchmark elevation at around 450 feet. Therefore, according to DGS scientists, the highest actual elevation in Delaware is around 450 feet above sea level. These areas are shown in the map below. The areas within the 450 foot contour lines are highlighted in red.

It's a common misconception that Delaware's High Point at Ebright is the lowest of all US States' high points. This was based on a question in the popular trivia game Trivial Pursuit. In fact, Florida has the lowest high point at 345 feet (Britton Hill, on the Panhandle, near Lakewood.) Actually, Delaware would have the third lowest high point if Washington DC became a state (Fort Reno at 429 feet).

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