It stems from colonial days, when the public would congregate in Georgetown two days after the election to hear the results (because it would take that long to deliver the results to the courthouse by horseback from the state capital in Dover, Delaware). The winners of that year's elections parade in horse-drawn carriages around The Circle. Together with the losers and the chairs of the county's political parties, they ceremonially "bury the hatchet" in a tub of sand. The afternoon of Return Day is a holiday for county and state workers in Sussex County. The day's events are marked by a traditional ox feast, and the beginning of the next round of campaigns. Architecture Georgetown is unusual among Delaware municipalities as the town was constructed around a circle, instead of the more traditional park square. Located at "The Circle" are the Town Hall, state and county buildings, and the historic Sussex County Courthouse. The original Courthouse was replaced by the current structure, which was built in 1837 on South Bedford Street. It was restored in 1976 and is managed by the Georgetown Historical Society. Lawyers' offices, the newer Court of Chancery and Family Court buildings, a bank, and the Brick Hotel, recently renovated into offices, also line the Circle. This layout is similar to that found in Annapolis, Maryland. The center of Georgetown's circle is a small green park with a fountain. Georgetown's oldest church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, was constructed in 1844 and remodeled in 1881 in the early Victorian Gothic style; its congregation organized in 1794, shortly after the close of the American Revolutionary War. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Other recognized historic properties are the Joseph T. Adams House, Brick Hotel, Peter S. Faucett House, First Broiler House, Georgetown Coal Gasification Plant, Stella Pepper Gyles House, Judge's House and Law Office, Dr. John W. Messick House and Office, Old Sussex County Courthouse, David Carlton Pepper Farm, Redden Forest Lodge, Forester's House and Stable, Richards Mansion, St. John's Methodist Church, Short Homestead, Thomas Sipple House, Sussex County Courthouse and the Circle, Gardiner Wright Mansion and McColley's Chapel, all listed on the NRHP. Geography Georgetown is located at (38.6901134, –75.3854728). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Climate Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 4,643 people, 1,489 households, and 957