-Partner Site of the First State National Historical Park to Host Summer 2018 Events-

(DOVER, Del.—June 1, 2018)—Fort Christina National Historic Landmark, one of the partner sites of the First State National Historical Park, offers visitors access to one of the cornerstones of Delaware history and an expanded schedule of activities from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekends. Building on last year’s success, Fort Christina is now staffed by guides who offer free interpretive tours to the public. Children can also earn Junior Ranger badges on the first Saturdays in June, July and August. This special heritage site marks the approximate location where a group of Swedish and Finnish colonists from the ships Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Grip landed on a natural wharf of “blue rocks” in 1638. It was here that the first Swedish settlement in America began—the first permanent European settlement in Delaware.

Located at 1110 E. Seventh St. in Wilmington, Del., next to the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation and Copeland Maritime Center, Fort Christina will be open between May 26 and Sept. 3 on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 4 p.m. (closed on July 4). Site hours and activities are supported by a partnership between the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the First Sate National Historical Park and the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation. Admission is free to all visitors.

As part of its new 2018 summer hours, Fort Christina will host a series of “First Saturdays” celebrations open to the public. On June 2, “Celebrate Sweden” will mark the founding of the colony of New Sweden (now Delaware) and the anniversary of the site as a park. “Celebrate Pirates” at the Wilmington Pirate Festival will be hosted on Saturday, July 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with family-centered activities and ship tours at the Kalmar Nyckel Shipyard and Fort Christina. The event promises to bring an exciting day of pirate-themed ship tours, demonstrations, games and crafts as well as live music, face painting, food and beverages. The event is open to the public with free admission and fees for some activities. August will bring “Celebrate National Park Service” on Saturday, Aug. 4 in recognition of the anniversary of the founding of the U.S. parks system. Educational tours and a variety of activities will be posted at www.KalmarNyckel.org as they are announced.

In 2016, Fort Christina re-opened as one of several statewide components of the First State National Historical Park and part of a larger effort to create a first class historical and cultural destination on Wilmington’s East Seventh Street peninsula. The goal is to integrate and develop the historic and cultural attractions of the Kalmar Nyckel shipyard campus, Fort Christina, Old Swedes Church and the Hendrickson House, along with the Christina River water taxi and other Riverfront attractions. Organizations working to make this dream a reality include the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, the National Park Service, Old Swedes Foundation and the Riverfront Development Corporation.

The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is an agency of the State of Delaware. 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 ownership of historic properties across the state including Fort Christina National Historic Landmark.

The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation is a non-profit educational organization with the mission of preserving and promoting the cultural and maritime heritage of Delaware and the Delaware Valley for the education and enrichment of all. The foundation is a volunteer-based organization that built, owns and operates the Kalmar Nyckel. The Tall Ship of Delaware is a present-day reproduction of the flagship from the 1638 expedition that founded the colony of New Sweden. Launched in 1997, Kalmar Nyckel serves as a floating classroom and an inspirational platform that offers people of all ages a variety of sea- and land-based recreational and educational experiences.

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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

DOVER, Del. – Carlton Hall, a cultural preservation specialist and historian with the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), earned a place on the inaugural “40 Under 40” list recently unveiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Hall was honored for his research and presentations about Delaware listings in the Green Book, a segregation-era travel guide for African Americans created by Victor Green and published annually from 1936 through 1966. The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants, service stations, night clubs, barber shops and other establishments across the country where African Americans would be safely welcomed during the days of Jim Crow.

“This honor means a great deal to me as a practitioner in my field, and I’m privileged to represent our state as the only individual from Delaware on the list,” Hall said. “I’ve learned and continue to learn from an outstanding group of professionals in the SHPO office, and to benefit from their decades of experience in the field of historic preservation.”

Hall is a native of New Castle, a graduate of William Penn High School and now lives in Bear with his wife and three children. He earned a master’s degree in historic preservation from Delaware State University in 2013 and began his tenure at SHPO in 2015.

“We couldn’t be prouder of Carlton and the recognition he has received,” said Tim Slavin, state historic preservation officer and director of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. “Carlton has a long career ahead of him, and we know he will continue to distinguish himself as he works to preserve our state’s history for future generations.”

“40 Under 40: People Saving Places” is a new initiative of the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation, honoring individuals under the age of 40 across the United States who are working to support the mission of historic preservation through fields such as architecture, community activism and business. View the full list of honorees here.

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.

DOVER – The Delaware Public Archives will host students from across the state Saturday for the culmination of the 16th Annual Delaware Day Fourth Grade Competition. (This program was postponed in December due to inclement weather)

More than 1,100 students from 22 schools across the state were given two months to prepare informative displays illustrating Delaware’s role in the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution, integrating creative elements such as artwork, poetry, songs and cartoons. This year’s competition featured 35 separate entries, the most in the program’s history.

Representatives from the Department of State judged the projects focusing on three main areas: historical accuracy, spelling and creativity.

More than 13,000 students have participated in the annual Delaware Day Fourth Grade Competition since the start of the program in 2001.

Each year, awards are given to schools with the most creative and historically accurate projects.
Named in honor of Delaware’s five signers of the U. S. Constitution, the awards recognize schools in each county plus the city of Wilmington as well as a private school.

Projects also are evaluated by the Delaware Division of the Arts and the Newark Arts Alliance. Select projects are presented with an Artistic Merit Award in recognition of the students’ creative use of visual art as well as design and composition.

For more information, visit the Annual Delaware Day Competition website.

What: 16th Annual Delaware Day Fourth Grade Competition Ceremony

Who: Secretary of State Jeff Bullock;
State Archivist Steve Marz;
Students, parents and teachers from across the state

When: 10 a.m. Saturday, January 13

Where: Delaware Public Archives, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North, Dover

ST. JONES NECK – In the autumn of 1767, the American Colonies were reeling from a fresh round of taxation without representation handed down by Parliament in London. With their pleas for fair treatment and equal standing ignored by the Crown, the leading men of the fledgling colonial opposition began to turn their thoughts to more direct acts of resistance.

But before the Boston Tea Party, before the First Continental Congress, and well before July 4, 1776, the Colonies needed a message to bring them together – a clear text that would lay out their common cause and draw them even closer in unity.

Through the winter of 1768, that unifying message took shape in a series of 12 modest letters published in colonial newspapers and signed simply “A Farmer.” The man behind the pseudonym would earn the title of “Penman of the Revolution,” a well-educated lawyer with Quaker beliefs raised on a quiet plantation in Kent County, Delaware: John Dickinson.

Dickinson and his “Letters from a Famer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies” (referring to Delaware’s status as a jurisdiction of Pennsylvania at the time) became a sensation across the Colonies and abroad in Britain and France for their simple, eloquent summary of the rights held by the American colonists and the many ways they had been infringed.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the publication of the “Letters” and the role John Dickinson played in setting the stage for the American Revolution, the Delaware Department of State has launched a new website, de.gov/johndickinson, and a slate of special programming to take place over the coming months.

“Dickinson and his contributions to the Revolution are truly monumental, and Delawareans can take a great deal of pride in knowing that this man who called our state home was such a key figure in our country’s history,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “I hope that the resources we’ve assembled and the plans we have in store for the next few months create an opportunity for all of us to explore that history, make a connection with it, and allow it to enrich our understanding.”

The website hosts biographical information about Dickinson and context framing the “Letters” in their historical moment. Assembled in cooperation with the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the site will serve as a hub for activities to celebrate the anniversary.

The online calendar of events lists programming taking place now through February in cooperation with the University of Delaware, the Delaware Public Archives, the Friends of the John Dickinson Mansion and others.

Programs on the schedule include a dramatic production of “The Great Debate: Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson” about the political and philosophical differences of the two statesmen. Presented by the American Historical Theater company of Philadelphia, the production will be at the Old State House in Dover on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Also on the schedule is a presentation from retired Delaware Supreme Court justice and eminent historian Randy J. Holland on the writings of Dickinson and their significance. Governor John Carney is also slated to participate in a February panel discussion about the legacy of the “Letters” and their impact on American politics through the present.

“Dickinson is a fascinating figure, and no less influential in the creation of our republic than any of his fellow Founding Fathers,” said Gloria Henry, supervisor of the John Dickinson Plantation museum and historic site outside Dover. “Our goal is to bring his story to life and show that the words he penned 250 years ago are still full of meaning today.”

Events at the John Dickinson Plantation will explore how life was lived on a large farm in 18th-century Delaware, including a presentation on the history of the African American inhabitants of the plantation, both free and enslaved, and Dickinson’s complicated relationship with the institution of slavery.

The season of programming will conclude in February with a traditional wreath-laying at Dickinson’s gravesite at the Friends Meetinghouse in Wilmington, sponsored by the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation.

DOVER – The five museums operated by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs have been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest recognition afforded to museums in the United States.

“Achieving accreditation is the gold standard of the museum profession” said Timothy Slavin, director of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. “This achievement is doubly significant because we persevered and achieved it during trying economic times for the State of Delaware. Across our entire division, we maintained focus and effectiveness and our role as cultural stewards was recognized.”

Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies and the museum-going public. The newly accredited state museums include the John Dickinson Plantation near Kitts Hummock; the Johnson Victrola Museum and Old State House in downtown Dover; the New Castle Court House Museum; and the Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes. State museums are under the stewardship of the Department of State. (See the attached documents for detailed information about the State of Delaware’s five museums and its archaeological and historic-objects collections.)

“Our state museums, and the collections they house, are treasures to be appreciated by Delawareans and visitors alike, and the dedicated team at the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs serve as excellent caretakers,” said Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock. “The people of Delaware can be proud of the work they do and the rich historic and cultural legacy they help preserve and safeguard for all of us.”

Developed and sustained by museum professionals for over 45 years, the American Alliance of Museums accreditation program is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation and public accountability. It strengthens the museum profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and remain financially and ethically accountable in order to provide the best possible service to the public.

Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, approximately 1,000 currently are accredited. Delaware’s state museums join only two other museums accredited in Delaware.

Accreditation is a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study and then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. An independent and autonomous body of museum professionals then considers the self-study and visiting-committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation.

About the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is an agency of the Delaware Department of State. 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 the administration and operation of five museums, conservation of the state’s archaeological and historic-objects collections, management of historic properties across Delaware as well as the management of a conference center and the operation of the State Historic Preservation Office.

About the American Alliance of Museums
The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance is the only organization representing the entire scope of the broad museum community. For more information, visit http://www.aam-us.org.