(DOVER, Del.—Sept. 21, 2018)—During the month of October 2018, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be sponsoring 14 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, October 2018

Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018
“Early 1900s Music Education.” Accompanied by 78-rpm recordings played on authentic Victor Talking Machines, guided tours will examine the history of the Victor Talking Machine Company Education Department founded by Frances Clark in 1911. The department’s mission was to take music-appreciation courses to the rural schools and to standardize music education. First Saturday in the First State program. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3262.

Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018
“Independence or the Bayonet: The Life and Times of Caesar Rodney.” Historical theater, presented in partnership with the Caesar Rodney High School Stage Crew & Thespians and the First State Heritage Park, explores the patriot who dedicated his life to serving his beloved Delaware. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Performances at 11 a.m.; and 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Admission is free but, due to limited seating, reservations are strongly recommended by calling 302-302-739-9194. For information on The Old State House, call 302-744-5054.

Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018
River Towns Ride and Festival. Festivals in historic New Castle and Delaware City frame a bicycling event between the two cities. Family-oriented festival held from Noon–5 p.m. at the New Castle Court House Museum and The Green in New Castle will feature food and craft beer; music; children’s games, amusements and crafts; face painting; hay rides; and merchant and craft vendors. Free shuttle between towns. 302-323-4453.

Monday, Oct. 8, 2018
Columbus Day.  The Old State House will be open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The following museums will be closed: The John Dickinson Plantation, Johnson Victrola Museum, New Castle Court House Museum and the Zwaanendael Museum. 302-744-5054.

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018
“Shakespeare, Poe and Fiends—A Night of Readings From the Dark Side.” Delaware Shakespeare presents dramatic readings for the Halloween season. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. 7:30 p.m. Tickets $18 available online at www.delshakes.org. 302-323-4453.

Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018
“Queenstown and the Early Colonial Delmarva: An Archaeological and Historical Symposium.”  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, Oct. 13, 2018
“18th Century Trades Day.” Experience occupations of the 1700s including getting your hands dirty by preserving food in the smokehouse, dyeing cloth, weaving a rug on a loom and making bricks out of clay. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018
“The Battle of the Chesapeake.” Multi-media presentation by historic-site interpreter Tom Welch on how the French fleet under Adm. de Grasse paved the way for the surrender of Gen. Cornwallis at Yorktown and the ultimate victory for the American forces over the British. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 1 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Saturday, Oct. 13, 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.

Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018
“Shakespeare, Poe and Fiends—A Night of Readings From the Dark Side.” Delaware Shakespeare presents dramatic readings for the Halloween season. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 3 p.m. Museum open 1:30–4:30 p.m. Tickets $18 available online at www.delshakes.org. 302-744-5054.

Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018
Lecture on the Lenapé Indian Tribe of Delaware. Program by Nena Todd, supervisor of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ downtown Dover museums, and Theo Braunskill, Lenapé Council member. Part of “Across the Ages to the Edge of the Sea,” a lecture series exploring the history of the Lewes area from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. Program at 2 p.m. on the museum’s 2nd floor (entry via staircase; no elevator). Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations for the lecture are required by calling 302-645-1148 no later than Oct. 19, 2018.

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018
Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation annual business meeting. Agenda to include review of two nominations to the National Register of Historic Places—Taylors’ Bridge School (New Castle County) and the Richard Allen School (Georgetown). The Delaware Room, Delaware Public Archives, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover. 10 a.m.–Noon. 302-736-7417.

Friday, Oct. 26, 2018
“Lantern Tours of the Plantation.” Programs explore the parties, games, dances and entertainment that would have abounded at the plantation during the nighttime in the 18th century. Activities will also include wagon-ride guided-tours conducted by staff of the St. Jones Reserve exploring the nocturnal life of the estuary. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Programs 5:30–6:30 p.m. and 7–8 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling the John Dickinson Plantation at 302-739-3277 no later than Oct. 25, 2018.

Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018
William Penn Day. Day-long series of programs commemorating the 336th anniversary of Penn’s disembarkment at New Castle, his first landing in the New World. Activities include a re-enactment of the Livery of Seisin ceremony at 10:15 a.m. in which Penn received possession of New Castle and a 12-mile circle of land surrounding it; “1670 Tryal of William Penn,” a historical play exploring Penn’s trial on religious freedom and the rights of English subjects under the law at 11:30 and 3:30 p.m.; “The Proprietress of Pennsylvania and Delaware—Hannah Penn,” a performance by historical re-enactor Jean Norvell at 1 p.m.; a performance by the Delaware Music School’s Suzuki Violins at 2:30 p.m.; a Baroque violin concert at 6 p.m.; and museum tours between performances from 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. 302-323-4453.

Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018
“Mysteries of History.” Walking tours explore the unusual tombstones of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church graveyard in Lewes. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. Tours leaves from the museum at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations for the tours are required by calling 302-645-1148 no later than Oct. 26, 2018.

Exhibits and displays, October 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. 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
“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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