delawareonline.com [NEWS JOURNAL] 

Selbyville Timeline
1778 – Selbyville is founded by Benjamin Long, Arthur McCabe, John Murray, Reuben Stevens and Elijah Campbell.
1842 – Town gets its name when Sampson Selby begins telling businesses to send packages to his country store in "Selby-ville."
1872 – The Frankford and Breakwater Railroad is extended into town for the shipment of strawberries.
1894 – John G. Townsend Jr. moves to Selbyville from Maryland.
1902 – The town is incorporated.
1902 – Sussex County farmers (mainly in Selbyville) grow more strawberries than any other county in the country.
1916 – A fire sweeps through the downtown area, causing major damage.
1917-1921 – J.G. Townsend is governor of Delaware.
1918 – The peak year for strawberries in town with 250,000 crates shipped.
1923 – The Selbyville Volunteer Fire Company is organized.
1924 – The J. Conn Scott furniture store opens.
1929-1941 – Townsend serves as U.S. senator for Delaware.
1932 – The Selbyville Police Department is created.
1957 – Richard Nixon visits the town to celebrate Sen. Townsend's birthday.
1964 – Townsend dies.
1966 – The Townsend family donates the late senator's home to the town. It later becomes the Selbyville Public Library.
1995 – McDonald's comes to town on U.S. 113.
2000 – The U.S. Census puts the town's population at 1,645.
2001 – Sussex County Council approved Americana Bayside, the largest development ever approved by the council. The 1,700 houses will be built on 887 acres of farmland off Del. 54 east of Selbyville.