SEAFORD, Del. — As the United States stops pressing pennies, one historian in Seaford is reflecting on the role the penny played in the city's early parking systems.
The U.S. Mint produced its final one-cent coin on Wednesday, ending a 238-year run after President Trump earlier this year ordered production of the penny to stop, citing its manufacturing cost of nearly four cents per coin.
Jim Bowden, a local historian, told WBOC that Seaford had 'penny parking meters' in the 1940s and 50's. One penny bought 12 minutes of parking in Seaford’s original coin meters — five cents for an hour. Bowden's grandfather served as chief of police at the time and managed those original coin meters.
"To see today that we’ve actually gone on to using your cell phone to pay for parking and putting in your time by hours," Bowden said. "It doesn't have to be just twelve minutes anymore."
Bowden said that, in today's economy, those meters would charge closer to thirteen cents for every twelve minutes.
“So the penny has gone up in value," Bowden said. "But evidently not enough because we’re getting rid of it.”
Bowden said the parking meters were originally introduced as Seaford’s downtown grew busier, in an effort to control traffic. However, he said not everyone welcomed the change.
“There was some outrage at first. People who were saying, ‘oh my god, we've actually gotten to the era where we have to pay for parking in downtown Seaford," Bowden said. "Other people looked at it lightheartedly and said, 'Look, we're moving up'."
The parking meters were then phased out, according to Bowden.
As the nation now approaches a future without pennies, Bowden said the mixed opinions reflect those of the parking meters.
“You hate to see some things go away. And the penny is included in that. I hate to see it go away, like old buildings, and people moving on, but it’s change. It's progress.”
Bowden suggested that anyone interested in more of Seaford's history should look at his Facebook group, which focuses on the city's history.