With an introduction by Heritage Commission Chair Richard Carter, the journals of Reverend Wells provide a unique perspective on life in Sussex County at the turn of the century. Wells’ original journals still exist and can be viewed at the at the Delaware Public Archives.

The Journals of the Reverend Lewis Wheeler Wells, Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and the Photograph Album of Leila Parker Burton Hartnack of Millsboro, Delaware
– by Richard Carter

You can view and/or download a PDF version of this book here.

Find out more about the Delaware Heritage Commission here.

George Alfred Townsend, known by his pen-name Gath, was one of Delaware’s most famous writers of the 19th century. Born the son of a Methodist pastor in Georgetown, Townsend would work as a war correspondent during the Civil War, write for several newspapers, and publish several books, both fictional and biographical. Many of Gath’s works remained unpublished after his death and some of his more obscure works remain quite rare. Jerry Shields has created an annotated collection of some of Townsend’s most interesting publications, as well as a brief biography of his fascinating life.

Gath’s Literary Work and Folk and Other Selected Writings of George Alfred Townsend
– by Jerry Shields

You can view and/or download a PDF version of this book here.

Find out more about the Delaware Heritage Commission here.

William Hare operated the largest pottery business in Delaware, despite not having a large, industrialized operation. Christopher Espenshade’s study of Hare’s work provides insight into Delaware’s pottery industry, 19th-century changes in pottery products, and the development of the modern city of Wilmington.

William Hare: Master Potter of Wilmington, Delaware, 1839-1885
– by Christopher Espenshade

You can view and/or download a PDF version of this book here.

Find out more about the Delaware Heritage Commission here.

The son of a Delaware Revolutionary War veteran, Thomas Macdonough would serve with distinction in the War of 1812. After the climactic Battle of Lake Champlain, Macdonough would go down in history as one of Delaware greatest military heroes. In her biography, Virginia M. Burdick discusses the life and times of Captain Macdonough and tells the story of a lesser-known hero of America’s second war for independence.

Captain Thomas Macdonough: Delaware Born Hero of the Battle of Lake Champlain
– by Virginia Mason Burdick

You can view and/or download a PDF version of this book here.

Find out more about the Delaware Heritage Commission here.

The history of the Revolutionary War is full of heroes, men like George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, and Nathanial Greene. Although many have been immortalized in song and verse, others have fallen into obscurity. Allen McLane is one such hero, serving as a soldier, a spy, a statesman, and more. This book, written as a collaboration between various Delaware historians, tells the epic tale of one of Delaware’s most interesting and overlooked historical figures.

Allen McLane Patriot, Soldier, Spy, Port Collector
– by Thomas Welch, Editor & Michael Lloyd, Assoc. Editor

You can view and/or download a PDF version of this book here.

Find out more about the Delaware Heritage Commission here.