During October, the Delaware Public Archives will celebrate American Archives Month! The First State’s Archives is one of the oldest public archives in the nation. From handwritten notes and documents to photographic prints and motion picture film, the Delaware Public Archives holds more than 95,000 cubic feet of government records and historical documents!

Here are a few ways Delaware Public Archives is celebrating American Archives Month this month:

Ask an Archivist – Virtual appointments now available!

The Delaware Public Archives is excited to announce that virtual reference appointments with archivists are now available on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. These virtual appointments are 30 minutes long and take place via Microsoft Teams. During the session, the reference archivist will suggest where to begin your research and provide an overview of digital materials available on the Delaware Public Archives Portal and website. For more information or to make a virtual reference appointment, visit this page.

After-hours Research Appointments Available on Wednesday, October 7

To celebrate American Archives Month, the Delaware Public Archives will be open late for a limited number of on-site research appointments on Wednesday, October 7 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Appointments are required for after-hours research. Individuals without an appointment may not enter the Delaware Public Archives after hours. For more information or to make an appointment, visit this page.

Lunch and Learn: Genealogy from Home – Digital Archives at the Delaware Public Archives

On Tuesday, October 13 at 12:00 p.m., Reference Archivist Katie Bacu will share some of DPA’s lesser-known but more-than-useful online resources, all available through the Research tab on the Delaware Public Archives webpage. Some of these resources include historical guides, indexes to vital records, eBooks, digitized collections, and more—right at your fingertips. It will cover the resources our archivists use every day as a first step in answering your genealogy questions. The presentation will also briefly highlight more unique digitized collections containing genealogical information that are often overlooked, like Civil War photographs, Vietnam letters, early court records, and tombstone indexes—all available from the comfort of your own home. Register for the webinar here.

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Visit the Delaware Public Archives

Come visit the Delaware Public Archives in Dover (full address here) and discover Delaware’s recorded history. Our Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, or you can make an appointment by calling (302) 744-5000 or emailing archives@delaware.gov. Researchers are strongly encouraged to make an appointment.

For more information about the Delaware Public Archives or to learn about upcoming events and programs, visit archives.delaware.gov. Follow the Delaware Public Archives on Instagram and Facebook to see how we are celebrating American Archives Month all month long!

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