HCA curators Ann Baker Horsey and Claudia Leister traveled to the donor's home on January 22, 2009 to pick up the collection which has been donated to the State of Delaware at no cost.

The goal of HCA's collections program is to preserve, and hold in public trust, a record of Delaware's heritage by acquiring items made in Delaware or used by Delawareans throughout history. HCA's collections, which include museum objects, archaeological artifacts, library and archival materials, and oral histories, are utilized in developing exhibits and educational programs that illuminate the state's historical and cultural legacies for the benefit of present and future generations.

HCA's Collections Committee is responsible for review and approval of all acquisitions to HCA's collections. The committee is comprised of HCA staff members including the Curators of Archaeology, Collections, and Collections Management; and one representative citizen from each of Delaware's three counties.

Krawitz, an architectural historian and 14-year Division employee, left HCA on January 23 for a position as executive director of Otsego 2000, a non-profit preservation organization based in Cooperstown, New York. In recent years, Krawitz has been instrumental in guiding several Delaware properties through the process of placement on the National Register of Historic Places. She also played a key role in the development of Delaware's Historic Preservation Plan. On November 24, 2008, Krawitz was named the Department of State's Employee of the Third Quarter based on her work in pursuing national recognition and support from the National Parks Service for HCA's museums and for Underground Railroad-related sites in Delaware.

Anderson left HCA on January 17 for a position in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Delaware. Anderson has worked for HCA since August 2006. During her tenure at the Zwaanendael Museum, Anderson helped develop a number of special programs that substantially increased visitation including the 2008 Chautauqua Tent Show, Dutch-American Friendship Day, Monsters of the Sea, and many others.

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 Museum of Small Town Life will have an opportunity to explore the history of Ground Hog Day and create shadow puppets. Visitors at the Johnson Victrola Museum will make carnival masks and hear Verdi's opera "The Masked Ball," while guests at the Delaware Archaeology Museum can knock on wood and explore legendary, colonial superstitions.

Slavin expressed enthusiastic support for the conclusion that a national park unit be established in Delaware and stated a preference for Alternative B which focuses on the themes of early settlement and the birth of a nation. In addition, he urged the Park Service to address public comments and press coverage regarding resources in Lewes that might contribute to those themes.

The Montchanin, Delaware-based Crystal Trust is a charitable foundation that supports higher- and secondary-education, and social and family services, including youth and child welfare agencies, family planning, and programs for the aged, the disadvantaged, and the homeless. The Trust also supports arts and cultural programs, health and hospitals, conservation programs, and historical preservation, with priority given to needs within the state of Delaware.

Founded in 1993, PDI is a membership-driven organization directed by citizens concerned about Delaware's vanishing past. Through educational programs, public policy initiatives, and preservation projects, PDI works closely with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and HCA in order to help protect Delaware's architectural and archaeological heritage.