Prior to European settlement, the Smyrna River outlet to Delaware Bay as it is known today did not exist, and the historic path of Old Duck Creek turned and meandered 12 miles south to join the Leipsic River before flowing into the bay. In 1682, Ephraim Herman had a throughfare dug that diverted the flow of Duck Creek directly to the bay, giving rise to the name Thoroughfare Neck and enabling Smyrna to develop into a busy port of trade for ships entering and leaving Delaware Bay. A century ago, following Lighthouse Road east to where the throughfare reached the bay led to the Bombay Hook Lighthouse, built in 1829 and occupied by several lightkeepers and their families during nearly a century of service as an important navigational aid to ships entering the Smyrna River; today only some bricks on the ground and clumps of daffodils remain. The Sutton House, built in 1730 and still standing a half-mile down the road, was the home where Tony Florio raised his family while serving for 30 years as a state Fish and Wildlife Biologist, and in Progger (2002) he recounted stories about the house, the marshlands, and the people who lived, hunted, trapped, and adventured there.