During the month of November 2013, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be offering 11 special programs at the state of Delaware’s six museums. A full schedule of events is listed below. All programs are free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-744-5055.

Highlights of the month include “Light Me Up!,” an illuminating workshop on traditional candle-dipping that will take place on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Dover’s John Dickinson Plantation. The workshop will explore candle-making techniques and lighting devices that would have been used during the 18th century when John Dickinson was in residence at the plantation. Visitors will have an opportunity to dip their own candles which can then be taken home. Admission to the event is free, but, due to space restrictions, reservations for the workshop are required by calling 302-739-3277 no later than Nov. 15, 2013.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Dover’s Johnson Victrola Museum will present “Classical Sounds From Victor,” a series of guided tours exploring some of Victor Records’ earliest recordings of classical music played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. The museum highlights the life and achievements of Delaware’s native son, Eldridge Reeves Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company which recorded many of the world’s greatest classical musicians of the early 20th century including Arturo Toscanini, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Leopold Stokowski, Jascha Heifetz and countless others.

Finally, on Saturday Nov. 16 at 2 p.m., Lewes’ Zwaanendael Museum will present “The Zwaanendael Settlement,” a Dutch-American Heritage Day lecture in which Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs archaeologist Craig Lukezic Charles Fithian explores Swanendael, Delaware’s first European settlement established by the Dutch in 1631.

Administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the six museums of the state of Delaware—the New Castle Court House Museum, the John Dickinson Plantation, the First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries, The Old State House, the Johnson Victrola Museum and the Zwaanendael Museum—tell the story of the First State’s contributions to the history and culture of the United States. Through displays, exhibits and special programs, the museums explore how the state’s distinctive physical environment, in combination with the people who came to live there, gave Delaware an identity that is different from any other place.

Special events at the museums of the state of Delaware, November 2013

Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013
“Classical Sounds From Victor.” Guided tours explore some of Victor Records’ earliest recordings of classical music played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. First Saturday in the First State program. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover, Del. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5055.

Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013
“An Illegal Activity.” Utilizing the exhibit “An Illegal Activity: The Underground Railroad in Delaware” as a backdrop, guided tours will explore Delaware’s crucial role in the Underground Railroad and on two Delaware leaders who aided in this “freedom enterprise.” First Saturday in the First State program. First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries, Delaware Public Archives building, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover, Del. Tours at 10 a.m., Noon and 2 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5055.

Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013
“18th Century Market Fair.” Program explores an era when The Green served as the focal point of life in Dover as historical interpreters explore the goods, wares and political attitudes of the 1700s. The Old State House will celebrate the fair with special tours and appearances by historical re-enactors. Sponsored by the First State Heritage Park. The Green, Dover, Del. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 302-739-9194.

Wednesdays, Nov. 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2013
John Dickinson’s Birthday Month. Visitors celebrate the birth of John Dickinson by helping to make a great cake and decorate it using royal icing and shaped marzipan. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, Del. Program 1–3 p.m. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-739-3277. Note change in program hours.  

Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013
Demonstrations by the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild. Program explores spinning, weaving, knitting and other fabric arts. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, Del. Program 1–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013
“Delaware’s Decades—the 1930s: ‘Visually Recording a Legacy of Hope From Despair: Jack Lewis and the CCC.’ ” Lecture by Ann Baker Horsey, curator of collections for the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Part one of an eight-part series exploring decades in Delaware’s history. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, Del. Program at 2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013
“Light Me Up!” Workshop on candle dipping and discussion of lighting devices of the 18th century. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, Del. Workshop 1–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations for the workshop are required by calling 302-739-3277 no later than Nov. 15, 2013.

Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013
Dutch-American Heritage Day: “The Zwaanendael Settlement.” Program by Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs archaeologist Craig Lukezic Charles Fithian on Delaware’s first European settlement established by the Dutch in 1631. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, Del. Program at 2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Exhibits at the museums of the state of Delaware, November 2013

In addition to special programming, the museums of the state of Delaware are presenting the following exhibits:

Oct. 16, 2013–Summer 2014
“An Illegal Activity: The Underground Railroad in Delaware.” Exhibit explores the First State’s role in the Underground Railroad by showcasing Thomas Garrett and Samuel D. Burris and the actions they took in following their consciences rather than the law. Presented in partnership with the Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware. First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries, Delaware Public Archives building, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover, Del. Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sat., 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30-4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-744-5055.

Ongoing
“Archaeology of the New Castle Court House.” The exhibit highlights the many phases of archaeological investigations at the New Castle Court House including artifacts representing over 300 years of continuous use of the building. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Del. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-323-4453.

Ongoing
“Delaware and the War of 1812.” Exhibit examines the service and sacrifice of Delawareans of 1812 to 1815, and the important role that the state played in a conflict that helped shaped the development of the United States. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, Del. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. from April 1–Oct. 31. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. from Nov. 1–March 31. Free admission. 302-645-1148.

Ongoing
“Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey From Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad.”
Exhibit chronicles the compelling story of Emeline Hawkins and her family and their 1845 odyssey on the Underground Railroad from slavery in Maryland, through Delaware to freedom in Pennsylvania. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Del. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-323-4453.

Ongoing
“A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World.” Exhibit utilizes artifacts recovered from His Majesty’s Sloop of War DeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798 to tell the story of the vessel, its crew and the historical context within which it operated in the Atlantic World of the late 18th century. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, Del. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. from April 1–Oct. 31. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. from Nov. 1–March 31. Free admission. 302-645-1148.

Ongoing
“Simple Machines.” Exhibit demonstrating the six “simple machines”—incline ramp, screw, wedge, pulley, lever and wheel —that constitute the elementary building blocks of which all complicated machines are composed. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, Del. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-739-3277.

  -End-

Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone:  302-736-7413
E-mail:  Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web:   http://history.delaware.gov

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