A few passing clouds. Low 42F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..
A few passing clouds. Low 42F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: October 23, 2026 @ 5:50 pm
SMYRNA, Del. – Community members are raising concerns about the potential loss of historic and archaeological resources as construction moves forward on a large-scale solar farm near Smyrna.
The Cedar Creek Solar project, developed by Freepoint Energy Solutions, is planned to span approximately 260 acres, with plans for about 230,000 solar panels. The project is located along Lighthouse Road and Woodland Beach Road, east of Smyrna.
Kevin Goldsborough, who lives across from the property and organized Citizens for Environmental Preservation, says he wants additional archaeological testing to determine whether the site contains Indigenous artifacts or burial grounds connected to people who were enslaved there.
Goldsborough says artifacts he has found nearby, along with the property’s history, raise questions about what could be buried beneath the land.
“Their equipment’s out there putting tons of this dirt over the site, which will alter the historical context and make any future archaeological digs more and more complex and just complicated,” Goldsborough said.
The property at 291 Lighthouse Road was once home to a house that preservation advocates believe dated to the 18th century. Kent County records show a demolition permit for the single-family home was issued in March 2026.
County records also show a permit for ground-mounted, large-scale solar panels for the Cedar Creek project was issued in October 2025.
Goldsborough and other preservation advocates say the property’s history, including its former use as a plantation, raises questions about whether burial sites or other archaeological resources could be present. However, the potential burial sites have not been confirmed.
Steve Cox, a Kent County historian who has followed the project, says the potential loss goes beyond the physical structures once standing on the property.
“Once a place like this is gone, our children and our grandchildren no longer have the prompt… to ask what happened here in the past,” Cox said.
Cox says he hopes archaeological testing can help document the site’s history.
The community’s concerns also include whether federal historic preservation requirements, including Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, apply to the project and whether additional archaeological review is warranted.
WBOC contacted Freepoint for a response to the concerns raised by community members but did not receive an immediate response.
Previous reporting has said the developer committed to planting more than 4,000 trees to screen the solar installation from public view and restoring the property for agricultural use after the solar panels’ planned 25-year lifespan.
Community advocates say they want the site’s history investigated and documented before further changes make potential archaeological discoveries more difficult.
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