The St. Jones River, a major navigable waterway in Delaware south of the John Dickinson Plantation, connected Delaware Bay to Dover and was the main source of transportation for John Dickinson, his family, and tenants. Between 1760 and 1808, Dickinson owned six farms along the river’s north shores about six miles from Dover, with the mansion located just 300 yards north of the water. Early property descriptions noted that the creek was navigable for shallops some miles above the farms and provided at least six convenient landings on the premises. These small open boats carried grain and other agricultural products from Dickinson’s landings to northern ports including Wilmington and Philadelphia. The river also helped supplement the diet of people on Jones Neck, including landowners, indentured servants, tenants, and free and enslaved individuals, and in 1764 a newspaper advertisement leasing the property noted its great convenience for fishing and oystering.