Planned and created by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the exhibit, entitled "Shipbuilding in the First State," showcases an industry that ranges from Native American canoes crafted hundreds of years ago to steel-hulled, ocean-going giants manufactured at the state's bustling shipyards in the 20th century.

Delaware's many inlets and tidal rivers, its abundance of virgin oak forests, and the commodities made from natural resources that were abundant in the state, laid the foundation for an industry that reached its peak in the late 1800s to early 1900s when Delaware became the largest shipbuilding region in the nation.

During this period, shipbuilding centers on the Mispillion, Christina, Broadkill, and Nanticoke rivers produced vessels designed to meet a wide variety of needs from fishing and oystering to the transport of passengers and cargo. In addition to exploring the many types of water craft made in Delaware, this exhibit delves into the people who founded the state's shipbuilding industry, how and why the industry developed, and its importance to the economy of the region. From the earliest canoes, to World War II vessels, to the tall-ship replicas of today, "Shipbuilding in the First State" is a means of telling part of Delaware's story.

Located at 406 Federal St. in Dover, Delaware, the Delaware Visitor Center and Galleries is open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and most state holidays; and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free. Donations are accepted and appreciated. For additional information, call (302) 739-4266.

The preservationist group included: David Scott, Executive Director of Preservation Delaware; Robin Hubbell Kusumi, Delaware representative to Preservation Action and Preservation Delaware board member; Rod Maroney, architect, National Trust for Historic Places advisor, and Preservation Delaware board member; Mike DiPaolo, Executive Director of the Lewes Historical Society, National Trust for Historic Places advisor, and Preservation Delaware board member; and Dan Griffith, archaeologist and Preservation Delaware board member. HCA staff member Joan Larrivee accompanied the group.

The group urged Delaware's members of Congress to support a variety of preservation issues including increased funding for the Historic Preservation Fund which aids State Historic Preservation Offices by providing them with matching grants for historic preservation activities; and passage of the Community Restoration and Revitalization Act which would improve the existing historic preservation tax credit for the restoration and rehabilitation of the nation's vacant and underutilized historic buildings. For information on the full range of federal preservation initiatives, visit the Website of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.

Held in conjunction with "First Saturday in the First State," a monthly program sponsored by the First State Heritage Park at Dover, activities will take place at each of Museum Square's three facilities. Guests at the Johnson Victrola Museum will enjoy springtime music played on vintage Victor talking machines while visitors at the Delaware Archaeology Museum will discover the technique of forcing bulbs into bloom. Between Noon and 3 p.m., young people visiting the Museum of Small Town Life will have an opportunity to make paper spring-flowers to take home.

Museum Square, located at 316 S. Governors Ave., between North St. and Bank Lane, in Dover, Delaware, is open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and most state holidays; and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free. Donations are accepted and appreciated. For additional information, call the Delaware Visitor Center at (302) 739-4266.

Activities will include an educational program about the first Dutch settlement in Delaware, bike decorating in the Dutch fashion, historical Dutch games, family craft activities including origami tulips and windmills, Dutch word games, The Netherlands vs. Delaware trivia quiz, and Spice Trade, an activity that tests participants spice senses.

Dutch-American Friendship Day commemorates April 19, 1782, the day that John Adams, the second president of the United States, was received by the States General in The Hague and recognized as Minister Plenipotentiary of United States of America. It was also the day that the house he had purchased at Fluwelen Burgwal 18 in The Hague was to become the first American embassy in the world.

Celebrated in the Netherlands on April 30, Koninginnedag is a Dutch national holiday which honors that nation's 200-year-old monarchy. The Zwaanendael Museum's Queen's Day activities will include screenings of "The Netherlands and the House of Orange," a 19-minute video highlighting the history of the Dutch monarchy; children's programs including games and crafts; and an opportunity to experience the museum's beds of blooming tulips—a flower that has long been associated with the Netherlands and its people. Visitors are encouraged to wear orange in honor of the House of Orange, the Dutch royal dynasty.

The Carney Agricultural Complex reflects broad patterns of history from two different periods in Delaware's piedmont region: subsistence agriculture at the end of the 19th century, and the development of the open-space preservation movement in the 20th century as practiced by William Pool Bancroft and the Woodlawn Trustees. The complex, along with 11.2 acres of land, was transferred to the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation in 1997 and is managed as part of Brandywine Creek State Park.

The Joseph W. and Ida Guest House, known today as Rosemont, was built circa 1890. The house is important as a rare surviving example of the vernacular, central-hall-plan house in Brandywine Hundred. It displays a distinctive styling and detail, transitioning the standard vernacular interpretation of the form into the popular national styles of the period.

The program, sponsored by PNC Bank, will feature a presentation on tax credits that are available to property owners to help offset costs associated with the rehabilitation and preservation of historic buildings in Delaware. The presentation will be conducted by Joan N. Larrivee, an architectural historian, Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs staff member, and manager of Delaware's Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program. Larrivee has been advising property owners of the tax benefits of preserving historic properties since the inception of the federal preservation tax incentive program in 1976, and currently advises applicants seeking credits under both the state and federal programs.

Other speakers at the symposium will include James Newill, owner of the historic Clements Mansion located at 56 W. Commerce St. in Smyrna, who will discuss how he benefited from the tax credit program in the restoration of one of town's most historic homes, while Jackie Vinyard, owner of The Gathering Place in the former Odd Fellows Hall in Smyrna, will discuss how the Delaware Preservation Fund assisted with the rehabilitation of her building.

Symposium topics will include journalism in Delaware, 'century' farms, the Lenape Indians, Delawareans in the Vietnam conflict, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and more. Participants will hear keynote speakers, take part in panel discussions, and enjoy interactive presentations and musical performances, all of which turn the humanities focus on Delaware. Historical and Cultural Affair's Curator of Collections Ann Baker Horsey will be one of the speakers.

Attendance at the symposium is free; however, an optional meal plan, which includes continental breakfast, lunch, and afternoon refreshments is available for $25 per day. A reception at the Annie Jump Cannon House, the home of Wesley College's President, will follow the Friday symposium, for which preregistration is also required. The cost to attend the reception is $25.

For additional information, go to the following Web site: Delaware Humanities Forum Kent County Symposium or call 302-657-0650 ext. 10.