(DOVER, Del.—March 23, 2017)—During the month of April 2017, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be sponsoring 18 special programs at sites across the state. A full schedule is included below. All programs are free and open to the public.

Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs special events, April 2017

Saturday, April 1, 2017
“USS Delaware: A Force to Be Reckoned With.” Program examines the beginning of World War I and the involvement of the dreadnought USS Delaware in the conflict. First Saturday in the First State program. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Program at 1 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Saturday, April 1, 2017
“Over There: World War I and the Victor Talking Machine Company.” Program explores music’s influence during World War I when patriotic songs were being composed throughout America. Hear 78-rpm recordings of this inspirational music played on authentic Victor Talking Machines, and explore how the Victor Talking Machine Company’s Camden, N.J. factory led the fight to make the world safe for democracy. First Saturday in the First State program. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. Program at 3:30 p.m. in the museum’s 2nd floor gallery (entry via staircase; no elevator). Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling 302-739-3262. Note: The starting time for this program has changed from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 6, 2017
“Founding Fathers and Mothers: Washington.” First installment of the four-part Coffee Hour Lecture Series featuring a team of scholars and historians discussing Founding Fathers of the United States and the women in their lives. Coffee, tea and snacks will be served. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling 302-744-5054.

Thursday–Saturday, April 6–15, 2017
Lewes Tulip Celebration. City-wide series of activities including tours and displays at the Zwaanendael Museum. Sponsored by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce. Downtown Lewes. 302-645-8073.

Saturday, April 8, 2017
Demonstrations by the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild. Program explores spinning, weaving, knitting and other fabric arts. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 1–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, April 8, 2017
“Listen Up! The Finale.” Concluding segment featuring all of the youth poets who participated in Listen Up!,” a year-long series that features young people who utilize poetry, theater, dance and song to create compositions that celebrate different aspects of Delaware history. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Performance at 1 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling 302-744-5054.

Saturday, April 8, 2017
Annual meeting of the Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware. Program to include a panel discussion featuring Joseph McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project; historical interpreter Roberta Perkins; and Colin Adams-Toomey, interpretative-programs manager for First State Heritage Park. Co-sponsored by the John Dickinson Plantation. Program at the St. Jones Reserve, 818 Kitts Hummock Rd., Dover. 3–4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, April 8, 2017
Meet Joseph McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project. Activity to take place in the log’d dwelling, an example of the type of structure that would have been lived in by the plantation’s tenants and enslaved people. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. 6–9 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Thursday, April 13, 2017
“Founding Fathers and Mothers: Adams and Franklin.” Second installment of the four-part Coffee Hour Lecture Series featuring a team of scholars and historians discussing Founding Fathers of the United States and the women in their lives. Coffee, tea and snacks will be served. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling 302-744-5054.

Friday, April 14, 2017
Good Friday. All museums of the State of Delaware will be open: The Johnson Victrola Museum and The Old State House, open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; the John Dickinson Plantation, New Castle Court House Museum and the Zwaanendael Museum, open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Sunday, April 16, 2017
Easter Sunday. All museums of the State of Delaware (the John Dickinson Plantation, the Johnson Victrola Museum, the New Castle Court House Museum, The Old State House and the Zwaanendael Museum) will be closed. 302-744-5054.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation meeting. Agenda TBA. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 10 a.m.–Noon. 302-736-7417.

Thursday, April 20, 2017
“Founding Fathers and Mothers: Jefferson and Madison.” Third installment of the four-part Coffee Hour Lecture Series featuring a team of scholars and historians discussing Founding Fathers of the United States and the women in their lives. Coffee, tea and snacks will be served. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling 302-744-5054.

Saturday, April 22, 2017
Dutch-American Friendship Day. Discover Delaware’s Dutch roots and learn how that connection is alive today. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Saturday, April 22, 2017
Earth Day at the John Dickinson Plantation. Celebrate Earth Day with a hike on the estate of the “Penman of the Revolution” followed by a potpourri-making demonstration. Dress appropriately. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Hikes at 11 a.m. and 1:30 pm. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations for the hike are required by calling 302-739-3277 no later than April 21. 302-739-3277.

Monday, April 24, 2017
John Dickinson Plantation service project in observance of National Week of Service. Join staff and volunteers in a variety of service activities including early spring gardening, cleaning benches and picnic tables, painting and collecting debris from the property. Registration is recommended by contacting the Division’s Volunteer Services Coordinator at 302-736-7411 or HCA_VolunteerSvcs@delaware.gov. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. 1–4 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Thursday, April 27, 2017
“Founding Fathers and Mothers: Hamilton.” Final installment of the four-part Coffee Hour Lecture Series featuring a team of scholars and historians discussing Founding Fathers of the United States and the women in their lives. Coffee, tea and snacks will be served. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling 302-744-5054.

Saturday, April 29, 2017
“Archaeological and Historical Symposium of the Colonial Delaware Valley.” Featuring informal presentations, the program is designed to build a regional-level dialog that can identify the uniqueness of the Colonial cultures of the Delaware Valley. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-323-4453. To reserve a place, send an e-mail to craig.lukezic@de.state.us.

Saturday, April 29, 2017
King’s Day. Celebration of the birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in a program that will also explore royal titles and Delaware’s Dutch connection. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Sunday, April 30, 2017
SpringFest at Fort Christina. Event explores the Colonial-era cultures of the Lenape, Swedes, Finns, Dutch and English. Activities include food, music, entertainment, children’s games and more. Seventh Street peninsula in Wilmington including Fort Christina National Historic Landmark, 1110 E. Seventh St., Wilmington. Noon–4 p.m. 312-652-5629.

Go to the following for a comprehensive, long-term calendar of events sponsored by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

Exhibits and displays, April 2017
In addition to special programming, the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is sponsoring the following exhibits and displays:

Thru August 2017
“World War II Through the Lens of William D. Willis.” Designed by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the exhibit features photographs taken by Dover, Del. native William D. Willis during World War II. From the collections of the State of Delaware. Middletown Historical Society, 216 N. Broad St., Middletown. Fri., 9 a.m.–3 p.m. First Sat. of each month, 9 a.m.–Noon. Third Wed. of each month, Noon–4 p.m. Other times by appointment. Free admission but call 302-378-7466 before planning a visit.

Thru Dec. 31, 2017
“Rose Color to Gold to Glowing Red: Orville and Ethel Peets in Paris 1913-1914.” Exhibit featuring paintings and painting materials used by the noted Delaware artists Orville Houghton Peets and Ethel Canby Peets. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

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. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 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. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-323-4453.

Ongoing
“Five Stories.” Display explores the varied lives of people who lived on the plantation including Dickinson family members, tenant farmers, tradesmen, free blacks, indentured servants and enslaved individuals. John Dickinson Plantation Welcome Center, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. April 1–Sept. 30: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Oct. 1–March 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Ongoing
“The Old State House: A True Restoration 1976-2016.” Display explores preservation work that has been conducted since Delaware’s first state capitol building was restored to its original appearance in 1976. From the collections of the State of Delaware. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

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. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Ongoing
Sculpture by Charles Parks. 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. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-323-4453.

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 many more-complicated machines are composed. John Dickinson Plantation Welcome Center, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. April 1–Sept. 30: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Oct. 1–March 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 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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