-Listing of museum events through September 2014 also included-

The adventure, romance, excitement and hardships experienced by 18th- and 19th-century seafarers will be brought to life at the third annual Zwaanendael Maritime Festival: “A Sailor’s Life for Me” that will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 24, 2014 at the Zwaanendael Museum located at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes, Del. The festival will provide opportunities for adults as well as children to experience the everyday lives of sailors by scrubbing the deck, learning about shipboard food, playing “Crown and Anchor” and other Colonial-period games, exploring a vessel’s cargo and the merchants who shipped it, and serving on a block-and-tackle station where visitors will be drilled by a demanding mariner looking for new crew members.

In addition, the following organizations will be exhibiting at the festival: Archaeological Society of Delaware; Fort Miles Historical Association; Indian River Life Saving Station; Lewes Education Coalition; Lewes Historical Society; Lightship Overfalls; and the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute (MERR).

The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the state’s first European colony, Swanendael, established by the Dutch along Hoorn Kill (present-day Lewes-Rehoboth Canal) in 1631. Designed by E. William Martin (architect of Legislative Hall and the Hall of Records in Dover), the museum is modeled after the town hall in Hoorn, the Netherlands, and features a stepped facade gable with carved stonework and decorated shutters.

Zwaanendael Museum exhibits and presentations provide a showcase for Lewes-area maritime, military and social history. Current exhibits include “A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World” which tells the story of His Majesty’s Sloop of War DeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798; and “Delaware and the War of 1812” which examines the service and sacrifice of Delawareans of 1812 to 1815, and the important role that the state played in a conflict that helped shape the development of the United States as a nation.

Following is a schedule of Zwaanendael-Museum-sponsored special events through September 2014. Unless otherwise noted, all programs take place at the Zwaanendael Museum located at 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, Del. Museum hours from April 1 to Oct. 31 are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. From Nov. 1 to March 31, museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. With the exception of DeBraak tours, all programs are free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-645-1148.

Zwaanendael Museum special events through September 2014

Saturday, May 24, 2014
Third Annual Zwaanendael Maritime Festival: “A Sailor’s Life for Me.” Maritime-themed activities, games, displays by local organizations and more. 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Mondays, June 2, 9, 23 and 30; July 7, 14, 21 and 28; Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25; and Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29
Lecture/tours of His Majesty’s Sloop DeBraak. Explore the history of the DeBraak which was capsized and lost off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798. Program includes a trip to the hull facility in nearby Cape Henlopen State Park for a tour of the surviving section of the ship’s hull. Programs at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Limited seating. Admission $10 in advance by reservation only through the Shop Delaware website.

Sunday, June 15, 2014
“16th Annual Chautauqua Tent Show: ‘With Malice Toward None…Delaware Life During the Civil War.’ ” Programs begin at Noon and culminate at 7 p.m. when Daisy Century of the American Historical Theatre portrays abolitionist and Union spy Harriet Tubman.

Monday, June 16, 2014
“16th Annual Chautauqua Tent Show: ‘With Malice Toward None…Delaware Life During the Civil War.’ ” Programs begin at Noon 1 p.m. and culminate at 7 p.m. when Patricia Troilo of the American Historical Theatre portrays Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross Clara Barton. Note time change.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014
“16th Annual Chautauqua Tent Show: ‘With Malice Toward None…Delaware Life During the Civil War.’ ” Concert by blues band Dr. Harmonica & Rockett 88. Stango Park, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes. 7 p.m.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014
“16th Annual Chautauqua Tent Show: ‘With Malice Toward None…Delaware Life During the Civil War.’ ” Programs begin at Noon 1 p.m. and culminate at 7 p.m. when Robert Gleason of the American Historical Theatre portrays President Abraham Lincoln. Lewes Historical Society complex, 110 Shipcarpenter St., Lewes. 302-645-7670. Note time change.

Thursday, June 19, 2014
“16th Annual Chautauqua Tent Show: ‘With Malice Toward None…Delaware Life During the Civil War.’ ” Programs begin at Noon 1 p.m. and culminate at 7 p.m. when David Scott Taylor of the American Historical Theatre portrays poet and Civil War nurse Walt Whitman. Lewes Historical Society complex, 110 Shipcarpenter St., Lewes. 302-645-7670. Note time change.

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014
Native-American-themed program. Speaker TBD. 2 p.m.

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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