(DOVER, Del.—Aug. 11, 2015)—The New Castle Court House Museum, located at 211 Delaware St. in New Castle, Del., will be presenting two history-related lectures during the months of August and September 2015. The lectures will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Aug. 19, and Sept. 9, and are free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-323-4453.
On Aug. 19, historian Mike Dixon will present “Crime and Time in Delaware,” a history of crime and punishment in the First State; while on Sept. 9, historian Gene Pisasale will present a program on the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who fought in the American Revolution and participated in the Battle of Brandywine.
One of the oldest and most historic courthouses in the United States, the New Castle Court House (main section built in 1732) served as Delaware’s first court and state capitol. Here in 1776, New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties declared their independence from Pennsylvania and England creating the Delaware State. The museum features tours and exhibits that illustrate Delaware’s unique boundaries, law and government and the Underground Railroad.
In addition to the lectures, the museum is currently featuring the exhibit “Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey From Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad” which 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; and Sculpture by Charles Parks, a display of works by the noted Wilmington artist featuring historical and political figures including a Minute Man, and presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George W. Bush.
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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