Cool Spring / Tilton Neighborhood Association

Tilton Park is Named For...

A Man Who Had Captial Plans for the Hilltop

Tilton Park is named for Dr. James Tilton, who was born in Kent County, Delaware on June 1, 1745. While a member of the Continental Congress (1783-1785), he urged that the capitol of the United States be located near the site of what is now Tilton Park. Dr. Tilton also served as a combat officer and Director of Miltary Hospital during the American Revolutionary War. He was the First Surgeon General of The U.S. Army (1813-1815) and the first President of the Medical Society of Delaware (1789-1822). He practiced medicine in Dover until 1792, when he bought a home adjacent to the Tilton Park site. He died May 14, 1822.