Updated: Sept. 12, 2018

(DOVER, Del.—Aug. 22, 2018)—During the month of September 2018, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be sponsoring 21 special programs at sites across the state. A full schedule is included below. Except where noted, all programs are free and open to the public.

Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs special events, September 2018

Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘A Lenapé Celebration of Heritage.’ ” Eighth annual celebration featuring the Lenapé Indian Tribe of Delaware as they honor mother earth and Native-American culture with dancing and demonstrations. First Saturday in the First State program. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Programs 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Grand entry at Noon. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Saturday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 3, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘American Indian Melodies and the Victor Talking Machine Company.’ ” Site interpreter Valerie Kauffman and American Indian flutist Boe Harris explore early-20th-century Victor Talking Machine Company recordings of compositions based on, or inspired by, Native American music, accompanied by 78-rpm recordings played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. In addition, Harris will perform Indian melodies and audience members will be provided with traditional instruments to play along in an impromptu “Indian melodies jam session.” Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. Programs at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3262.

Monday, Sept. 3, 2018
Labor Day. 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.

Monday, Sept. 3, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘The Long Road to Recognition: New Avenues.’ ” Elected Chief Dennis Coker will discuss the long process that led to the Lenapé Indian Tribe of Delaware’s official status as a state-recognized Indian community and what that means for Delaware’s citizens today. 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.

Thursdays, Sept. 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2018
“Lost Off Lewes: The British Warship DeBraak.” Special tour explores the history, artifacts and surviving hull section of this 18th-century shipwreck. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 9 a.m. Limited seating. Admission $10 (cash or check only). For reservations, e-mail hca_zmevents@delaware.gov or call 302-645-1148.

Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘Archaeology in Delaware and the First People.’ ” Program by John P. McCarthy, RPA, cultural preservation specialist for Delaware State Parks, provides information on archaeological sites in Delaware that have revealed stunning information about the lives of Delaware’s first people. 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, Sept. 8, 2018
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.

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018
“20th Annual Chautauqua—‘All Aboard: Delaware and the Railroad.’ ” Activities begin at 1 p.m., culminating at 7:15 p.m. when Bob Gleason of the American Historical Theatre portrays Mark Twain. Margaret H. Rollins Community Center, 101 Adams Ave., Lewes. Free admission. 302-645-7670. Note: Due to severe weather, venue changed from a tent at the Zwaanendael Museum to indoors at the Rollins Community Center.

Friday, Sept. 14, 2018
“20th Annual Chautauqua—‘All Aboard: Delaware and the Railroad.’ ” Activities begin at 1 p.m., culminating at 7:15 p.m. when Kim Hanley of the American Historical Theatre portrays a Harvey Girl. Margaret H. Rollins Community Center, 101 Adams Ave., Lewes. Free admission. 302-645-7670. Note: Due to severe weather, venue changed from tents at the Zwaanendael Museum and the Lewes History Museum to indoors at the Rollins Community Center.

Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018
“20th Annual Chautauqua—‘All Aboard: Delaware and the Railroad.’ ” Activities begin at 1 p.m., culminating at 7:15 p.m. when Neill Hartley of the American Historical Theatre portrays Joshua Lionel Cowen, the founder of the Lionel Corporation which manufactured toy trains. Margaret H. Rollins Community Center, 101 Adams Ave., Lewes. Free admission. 302-645-7670. Note: Due to severe weather, venue changed from a tent at the Lewes History Museum to indoors at the Rollins Community Center.

Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018
CANCELLED: “The First People of the First State: ‘Deciphering American Indian DNA.’ ” Program explores the implications of DNA testing from a Native American perspective. 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. Note: Due to Hurricane-Florence-related cancellations by panelists who would have been traveling from the Carolinas, this program has been cancelled.

Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018
“Model Railroading Today.” Presentation by John Hodges, president of the Delaware Seaside Model Railroad Club. Part of the “20th Annual Chautauqua—‘All Aboard: Delaware and the Railroad.’ ” Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes. 2:15 p.m. Free admission. 302-645-2733. Note: Due to severe weather, venue changed from a tent at the Lewes History Museum to indoors at the library.

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018
“Bombs, Blitz and Rations: Living in War Torn London During WWII.” Presentation features personal memories of World War II by New Castle resident Jean Norvell who grew up in war-torn London. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. 7 p.m. 302-323-4453.

Friday, Sept. 21, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘Native American Arts.’ ” Join the Lenapé Indian Tribe of Delaware as they demonstrate drumming and dancing, and share the art of bead working. Partnership between the Dover Public Library and the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover. 6 p.m. 302-736-7030.

Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘American Indian Women Today.’ ” American Indian women, including author Kay Oxendine of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, will speak about traditional roles and how those roles have become pertinent in today’s #METOO society. 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, Sept. 22, 2018
National Estuaries Day Campfire Program. Presented in partnership with the St. Jones Reserve. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. 6–8 p.m. Admission free but reservations required by calling the St. Jones Reserve at 302-739-6377.

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘Bloomsbury and the Survival of the Lenapé People.’ ” Join archeologist and ethnographer Dr. Cara Blume as she examines the significance of the Bloomsbury archaeological site which gave proof of identity and the continued existence of the Lenapé people in Delaware. Partnership between the Dover Public Library and the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover. 6 p.m. 302-736-7030.

Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
“The First People of the First State: ‘Growing Up Lenapé in Delaware: Lenapé Women Speak.’ ” Tribal citizens speak about their experiences with American Indian identity before and after desegregation. 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.

Exhibits and displays, September 2018
In addition to special programming, the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is sponsoring the following exhibits and displays. Admission is free and open to the public:

Ongoing 
“Delaware Railroads: Elegant Travel and Timely Transport.” Exhibit explores the history of rail travel and transport in the First State emphasizing the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad (1832), the Delaware Railroad (1852), the Junction and Breakwater Railroad (1857) and the Queen Anne’s Railroad (1896). 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
“Drawing America to Victory: The Persuasive Power of the Arts in World War I.” Online exhibit revolves around 27 World War I posters from the collections of the State of Delaware.

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. Oct. 1–March 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. April 1–Sept. 30: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Ongoing
“Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania.” Online exhibit explores the life of Founding Father John Dickinson on the 250th anniversary of the publication of his essays that described Colonial American grievances with the British government.

Ongoing
“New Castle: Three Forts, One Community.” Exhibit examines the 17th-century struggle for control of New Castle by the Dutch, Swedes and English, and the strongholds that they built to maintain their power. 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
“The Old State House: A True Restoration 1976-2016.” Display explores preservation work that has been conducted since Delaware’s first permanent capitol building in Dover 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
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
“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. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. 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 many more-complicated machines are composed. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Oct. 1–March 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. April 1–Sept. 30: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the five 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—tell the story of the First State’s contributions to the history and culture of the United States. Through tours, exhibits, school programs and hands-on activities, the museums shine a spotlight on Delaware’s unique history and the diverse people who came to live there. The museums are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The New Castle Court House Museum and the John Dickinson Plantation are partner sites of the First State National Historical Park. The Old State House is located on the Dover Green, another partner site of the park. Go to the following for a comprehensive, long-term calendar of division-sponsored events.

The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is an agency of the State of Delaware. The division enhances Delaware’s quality of life by preserving the state’s unique historical heritage, fostering community stability and economic vitality and providing educational programs and assistance to the general public on Delaware history and heritage. The division’s diverse array of services includes operation of five museums which are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, administration of the State Historic Preservation Office, conservation of the state’s archaeological and historic-objects collections, operation of a conference center and management of historic properties across the state. Primary funding for division programs and services is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, a federal agency. However, the contents and opinions expressed in the division’s programs and services do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Department of the Interior.

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Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-739-7787
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

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