(DOVER, Del.—March 22, 2018)—During the month of April 2018, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be sponsoring 16 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, April 2018
Sunday, April 1, 2018
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.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
“Let the Music Play: Inventions From Eldridge Reeves Johnson.” Program explores the many inventions of the Delaware native and founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company. Part one of the four-part “Coffee-Hour Lecture Series: ‘Delaware’s Inventors and Scientific Contributors.’ ” The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.
Thursday–Sunday, April 6–15, 2018
Lewes Tulip Celebration. City-wide series of events including tours, displays, children’s activities, crafts and more. Sponsored by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce. Downtown Lewes locations including the Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, which will feature tulip arrangements by the Sussex Gardeners and will be open Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. with free admission. Fees may be charged at other venues. 302-645-8073.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
“Prohibition in the First State.” Guided tours highlight the prohibition of alcohol in Delaware including an examination of the ratification of the 18th Amendment, its enforcement, its impacts on Delawareans and its eventual repeal through the ratification of the 21st Amendment. First Saturday in the First State program. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
“Songwriting: Poetry Through Music.” In celebration of National Poetry Month, guided tours will highlight the great songwriters of the Victor Talking Machine Company accompanied by recordings of their compositions played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. 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, April 7, 2018
Buena Vista’s First Annual Spring Open House. Guided tours of the grounds of one of Delaware’s most historic estates at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Self-guided tours of the mansion and grounds are welcome. Buena Vista: A Delaware Country Estate, 661 S. Dupont Highway (Route 13), New Castle. 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 302.323.4430.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Rededication of the Johnson Victrola Museum. Join the museum’s directors and staff in celebration of its 50th anniversary and the re-dedication of 50 more years of service to the community. Activities will also include a theatrical presentation by museum-interpreter Steven Mumford and musical selections by Don-Del Productions. Cupcakes and coffee will be served. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. Program at 11 a.m. in the museum’s 2nd floor gallery (entry via staircase; no elevator). Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3262.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
“Nylon: A Success in Seaford.” Maria Heyssel of the Seaford Historical Society will examine the nylon manufacturing that took place in Seaford, Del. and the impact that it had on the local community and the world. Part two of the four-part “Coffee-Hour Lecture Series: ‘Delaware’s Inventors and Scientific Contributors.’ ” The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.
Saturday, April 14, 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.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation meeting. Agenda TBA. The Delaware Room, Delaware Public Archives, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover. 10 a.m.–Noon. 302-736-7417.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
“ILC and the Space Suit.” Bill Ayrey, lab manager and company historian from ILC Dover, will discuss the development and usage of the space suit including those that the company manufactures for NASA. Part three of the four-part “Coffee-Hour Lecture Series: ‘Delaware’s Inventors and Scientific Contributors.’ ” The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
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 21, 2018
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. Hike at 11:30 a.m. 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 20. 302-739-3277.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
“Mysteries at the Museum: ‘Blood Diamond: The Murder of Ebe Lynch.’ ” It is 1916, on a hot summer night on Second Street in downtown Lewes, Del. and a shot has been fired. Ebe Lynch is dead! In this historical play, museum guests will search for clues to help solve the mystery and find the killer. 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 April 20, 2018.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
“Festival at the Fort.” Event explores Wilmington’s Colonial-era cultures of the Lenni Lenape, Swedes, Finns, Dutch and English. Activities include children’s games, crafts and vendors, ceremonies, live music, tours of the Kalmar Nyckel and Old Swedes Historic Site, a scavenger hunt, food trucks, and more. Seventh Street peninsula in Wilmington including Fort Christina National Historic Landmark, 1110 E. Seventh St. Noon–4 p.m. General admission free with fees charged for some activities. 302-429-7447.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
“Doctor James Tilton and the Tilton Hut.” Historic-site interpreter Dennis Fisher will discuss how this life-saving invention, developed by Dr. James Tilton of Kent County, Del., was created in the 1700s. Final segment of the four-part “Coffee-Hour Lecture Series: ‘Delaware’s Inventors and Scientific Contributors.’ ” The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 5:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
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.
Exhibits and displays, April 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
“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. 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
“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 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
“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. 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
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.
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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
