-Listing of museum events through September 2016 also included-

(DOVER, Del.—May 19, 2016)—The adventure, romance, excitement and hardships experienced by 18th- and 19th-century seafarers will be brought to life at the fifth annual Zwaanendael Maritime Celebration: “A Sailor’s Life for Me” that will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, 2016 at the Zwaanendael Museum located at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes, Del. The celebration 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 festival will feature displays and demonstrations on local maritime history presented by a variety of organizations including the Archaeological Society of Delaware which will offer “Delaware Archaeology” and “Maritime Archaeology With ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle)”; the Lewes Historical Society which will present “Games During the Age of Sail” and “Delightful Distractions: Children’s Farm Toys During the 18th Century”; the Lightship Overfalls which will offer displays on the restoration of the Overfalls and the history of lightships; and the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute (MERR) which will present marine mammal and sea turtle artifacts and photos.

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. The museum’s exhibits and presentations provide a showcase for Lewes-area maritime, military and social history.

Following is a schedule of Zwaanendael-Museum-sponsored special events through September 2016. 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. Unless otherwise noted, all programs are free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-645-1148.

Zwaanendael Museum special events through September 2016

Saturday, May 28, 2016
Fifth Annual Zwaanendael Maritime Celebration: “A Sailor’s Life for Me.” Maritime-themed activities, games, displays by local organizations and more. 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Wednesdays and Thursdays, June 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30; July 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28; Aug. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31; and Sept. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29, 2016
“Lost Off Lewes: The British Warship DeBraak.” Special tour explores the 18th-century history, artifacts and the surviving hull section of this shipwreck. 9 a.m. Limited seating. Admission $10 by reservation only through the Shop Delaware website (go to http://shop.delaware.gov and click the “Tours” link).

Sunday, June 19, 2016
18th Annual Chautauqua—“Making the First State Shine: 50 Years of Historic Preservation in Delaware.” Day-long series of activities focusing on historic preservation beginning at Noon and culminating at 7:15 p.m. when Peyton Dixon of the American Historical Theatre portrays president and preservationist Teddy Roosevelt.

Monday, June 20, 2016
18th Annual Chautauqua—“Making the First State Shine: 50 Years of Historic Preservation in Delaware.” Day-long series of activities focusing on historic preservation beginning at Noon and culminating at 7:15 p.m. when Kim Hanley of the American Historical Theatre portrays philanthropist Abby Aldrich Rockefeller who was a leader in the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016
18th Annual Chautauqua—“Making the First State Shine: 50 Years of Historic Preservation in Delaware.” Historic-preservation-related activities include a bus trip to historic New Castle, Del. sponsored by the Lewes Historical Society (admission charge, call 302-645-7670 for reservations); a free tour of the Lightship Overfalls, 219 Pilottown Road, Lewes at 2 p.m.; and a free concert by Mike Hines and the Look, Stango Park, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016
18th Annual Chautauqua—“Making the First State Shine: 50 Years of Historic Preservation in Delaware.” Historic-preservation-related activities include cemetery tours at 1 and 3 p.m., and historic-house tours at 2 and 4 p.m. sponsored by the Lewes Historical Society (admission charge, call 302-645-7670 for reservations). In addition, the Bethel United Methodist Church, 129 W. 4th St., Lewes, will host free performances by violinist Conor McAvinue at 6 p.m., followed at 7:15 p.m. by Jill Lawrence of the American Historical theatre portraying Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

Thursday, June 23, 2016
18th Annual Chautauqua—“Making the First State Shine: 50 Years of Historic Preservation in Delaware.” Historic-preservation-related activities include cemetery tours at 1 and 3 p.m., and historic-house tours at 2 and 4 p.m. sponsored by the Lewes Historical Society (admission charge, call 302-645-7670 for reservations). In addition, St. George’s African Methodist Episcopal Church, 317 Park Ave., Lewes, will host a free Worship Experience by the Singing and Praying Band of Maryland and Delaware at 6 p.m.

Zwaanendael Museum exhibits and displays

Thru Dec. 31, 2016
“Wine and Spirits in Delaware: Producing, Preserving, and Presenting.” Exhibit features objects and graphics from the 18th to the 21st centuries that illustrate Delaware’s wine and spirits trade.

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.

Ongoing
“Discovering Delaware’s Maritime Past.” Display explores the DeBraak, a shipwrecked 18th-century British warship including a photo of the hull recovery, reproductions of items aboard ship, and a model of the vessel.

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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

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