-All activities to be presented free via Zoom; registration required-

NOTE: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 Chautauqua programs will not be conducted in front of a live audience but will instead be streamed live via Zoom. Each of the Chautauqua’s programs is free and open to its first 100 registrants. A complete listing of activities and registration instructions are available by going to https://history.delaware.gov/22nd-annual-chautauqua/.

“Women’s Work: Campaigning for Social Change” will demonstrate the passionate efforts of suffragists striving toward one goal—earning the right for women to vote and participate equally in the nation’s political, social and economic life. Through theatrical enactments by both individuals and groups, lectures and musical performances, virtual viewers will be immersed in the women’s suffrage movement and experience the impact that it had on Delaware and its people. Activities will be capped with performances by actor-historians from the American Historical Theatre portraying the noted suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt; and a concert by the Women’s Orchestra Project.

Reborn in the 1970s as a vehicle for humanities education, modern Chautauquas are organized around a core program in which re-enactors take on the personas of celebrated historical figures, educating and entertaining audiences as they bring the past to life. Modern Chautauquas have been presented annually in Delaware since 1999 featuring a wide variety of historical figures including Martin Luther King Jr.; Mark Twain; Woodrow Wilson; Teddy Roosevelt; Abraham Lincoln; Amelia Earhart; Dolley Madison; Eleanor Roosevelt; Edgar Allan Poe; the Lone Ranger; John Philip Sousa; and Delaware’s own Pvt. James Elbert, Maj. Allen McLane, F.O.C. Darley and Clifford Brown.

“Women’s Work: Campaigning for Social Change” is co-sponsored by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ Zwaanendael and New Castle Court House museums, the Lewes Chamber of Commerce and the New Castle Historical Society. Partial funding is provided by a grant from Delaware Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-608-5326
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

(DOVER, Del.—May 27, 2020)—As part of a growing effort to bring Delaware’s historic places, stories and artifacts to life online, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA) has introduced a new digital feature highlighting local music and historic sites across the First State: The At Home Concert Series, now live on HCA’s YouTube channel.

“History and the arts go hand-in-hand and we have a great tradition of playing host to local musicians and performers at Delaware’s historical sites,” said HCA Director Tim Slavin. “The At Home Concert Series makes that relationship even stronger and allows for more Delawareans to connect with our shared history digitally.”

The series is a partnership between HCA and the Delaware Friends of Folk, a Dover-based nonprofit that supports folk music and folk musicians on the Delmarva peninsula and throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. As part of the partnership, the Friends of Folk identifies musicians and groups to perform in the series, and the division provides the performance space and audio/visual expertise for recording the concerts.

In his introduction to the series’ inaugural concert, John Kidd, president of the Friends of Folk’s board of directors noted, “We are in the midst of a very strange situation and artists are suffering along with everyone else. What we are going to try to do with this series is to bring some artists into your computer and let you see what people are doing locally.”

The At Home Concert Series is the latest collaboration between the two organizations. Annually since 2014, HCA has worked with the First State Heritage Park and the Friends of Folk to present The Old State House Concert Series, a set of free live performances held in The Old State House on the second Friday of each month between October and March.

In response to the coronavirus state of emergency, the division has been developing new ways in which Delawareans can engage online with First State history. This included the launch of the Delaware Digital History Museum, available on the HCA website, which provides a wide variety of electronic opportunities to experience Delaware history remotely.

Stay tuned to the division’s YouTube channel for additional performances in the At Home Concert Series. Information on The Old State House Concert Series, tentatively scheduled to resume in the fall, will be posted on the Friends of Folk website.

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. 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.

Valarie Petty Boyer Ph.D. will tell the story of Bathsheba Bungy
at the New Castle Court House Museum on March 21, 2020.

NOTE: This program has been postponed. Date to be determined

(DOVER, Del.—March 9, 2020)—In celebration of National Women’s History Month, historical interpreter Valarie Petty Boyer, Ph.D. will utilize monologue and song to tell the true story of Bathsheba Bungy, an African American girl from New Castle, Del. who was kidnapped by two white men in 1830 and taken to Maryland to be sold into slavery. The program explores Bungy’s ordeal and escape, and the actual trial of her kidnappers which was held in the New Castle Court House—the very location where Boyer’s performance will be held.

“The Kidnapping of Bathsheba Bungy” will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at the New Castle Court House Museum, located at 211 Delaware St. in New Castle, Del. Admission is free and open to the public but, due to space restrictions, reservations are suggested by calling 302-323-4453. The museum will also be open for visitation and tours from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Valarie Petty Boyer holds a doctorate in education from Walden University; and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education—both from the University of Delaware. A resident of Dover, Del., she teaches sociology, human development and general psychology at Delaware Technical and Community College.

As a historical interpreter, Boyer writes and performs her own programs which often feature her singing Negro spirituals. In addition to Bathsheba Bungy, she has portrayed antislavery activist Charlotte Forten Grimke; Nannie Goode who taught at the Iron Hill Colored School in Newark, Del. in the 1920s; and escaped slave Susan Petty, a fictional character created by Boyer and named for her grandmother.

Constructed in 1732, the New Castle Court House is one of the oldest active court buildings in the United States and was Delaware’s first state capitol. Here, the Colonial Assembly passed the 1776 Separation Resolution creating the Delaware State. During its nearly 300 years of history, this National Historic Landmark has played pivotal roles in the political, social and commercial life of both New Castle and Delaware. The museum is a partner site in the First State National Historical Park.

The New Castle Court House Museum is administered by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, 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. 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

Designated by joint resolutions of the United States House of Representatives and Senate and proclaimed by the American president, National Women’s History Month is an opportunity to honor and celebrate women’s lives and historic achievements. Each year National Women’s History Month employs a unifying theme and recognizes national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme. For 2020, the theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote” which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women’s right to vote.

Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs special programs, March 2020

Saturday, March 7, 2020
“The Road to the Vote.” In celebration of Women’s Vote Centennial, guided tours will explore the women’s suffrage movement in Delaware, the 19th Amendment and the discussions held in Delaware’s historic capitol regarding its passage. 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, March 7, 2020
“The Women of Victor.” National Women’s History Month guided tours focus on the talented female vocalists of the Victor Talking Machine Company and how they paved the way for the divas of today, accompanied by early recordings of those artists 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.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020
“The Harriet Tubman Living History Experience.” In celebration of both National Harriet Tubman Day and National Women’s History Month, actress Millicent Sparks will bring to life the noted Underground Railroad conductor who helped more than 70 enslaved African Americans escape to freedom prior to the American Civil War. Organized by the Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage and partially funded by a grant from Delaware Humanities. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 6–8 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are suggested by calling 302-744-5054.

Friday, March 13, 2020
Concert by Joey Fulkerson. Guitarist presented in partnership with the Delaware Friends of Folk and the First State Heritage Park. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. 7:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Saturday, March 14, 2020
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.

Saturday, March 14, 2020
“Country Music: A Woman’s Voice.” National Women’s History Month program highlights the role that female artists played in the evolution of country music. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. Program at 1 p.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.

Saturday, March 21, 2020
POSTPONED: “The Kidnapping of Bathsheba Bungy.” Through monologue and song, this theatrical presentation by Valarie Petty Boyer Ph.D. tells the story of the kidnapping of an African American girl from New Castle who was taken to Maryland to be sold into slavery. National Women’s History Month program explores the story of Bungy’s ordeal and escape, and the New Castle Court House trial of the kidnappers. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. Performance at 1 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are recommended by calling 302-323-4453. NOTE: Event postponed. Date to be determined.

Saturday, March 28, 2020
POSTPONED: “The First Women of the First State.” National Women’s History Month program by Theo Braunskill, citizen and Elders Council member of the Lenapé Indian Tribe of Delaware, and Nena Todd, manager of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ downtown Dover museums, explores Native American women, lifeways, culture, challenges and successes—both past and present. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Program at 1 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054. NOTE: Event postponed. Date to be determined.

Exhibits and displays, March 2020

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. 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.

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.

(DOVER, Del.—Feb. 7, 2020)—In honor of Presidents Day 2020, The Old State House, located at 25 The Green in Dover, Del., will present programs during the month of February that spotlight two of the United States’ greatest chief executives—Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

On Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m., the museum will offer “With Malice Toward None: Abraham Lincoln in Words and Pictures,” a presentation by historian Daniel Pritchett that explores Lincoln’s love of language and his ability to use words to influence and inspire people and to transform the nation.

On Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m., the museum will offer “George Washington’s Unique Skill in Picking Top Talent,” a presentation by Dr. Samuel B. Hoff of Delaware State University and museum historical interpreter Tom Welch on the men that Washington chose to serve in the military, in his spy networks, in his Cabinet and on the Supreme Court.

Both programs are free and open to the public but, due to space restrictions, reservations are suggested by calling 302-744-5054. In addition to special programming, the museum is open for visitation and tours from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays, and on Sundays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Daniel Pritchett taught history in Delaware’s Capital School District for 34 years and subsequently, for five years as an adjunct professor at Delaware State University. He presently teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He is a member of the Lincoln Forum, one of the foremost national organizations dedicated to the study of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

Dr. Samuel B. Hoff is George Washington Distinguished Professor for the Delaware State Society of the Cincinnati and professor emeritus of history and political science at Delaware State University. He is a nine-time independent candidate for president of the United States.

Completed in 1791, The Old State House is one of the earliest capitol buildings in the nation, serving as the home of Delaware’s legislature until 1933 when the General Assembly moved to larger quarters in Legislative Hall. The venerable structure now appears as it would have in the late 1700s during the United States’ critical early years as an independent country. It features a courtroom, governor’s and county offices and chambers for the state’s Senate and House of Representatives. The building is situated on Dover’s historic Green, a public area designated by William Penn in 1683. The Green is a partner site of the First State National Historical Park.

The Old State House is administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, 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. 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.