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January 2009 |
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| On November 24, 2008, the National Park Service (NPS) released the publication "Delaware National Coastal Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment" which examines the national significance of historic sites within the state of Delaware, and their suitability and feasibility for designation as a potential unit of the national park system. Proposed outcomes of the study include a partnership between HCA and NPS for capital improvement grants and other assistance in the City of New Castle and possibly at Fort Christina Park in Wilmington.
HCA staff members have reviewed the publication and have submitted written comments that have been compiled and edited by HCA Director Tim Slavin who submitted them to the NPS during the public-comment period that ends on December 26, 2008.
Click on the following to view the publication: |
Victor Talking Machine Company poster. Victor sponsored its first radio broadcast over a 14-station network on January 1, 1925. |
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On Saturday, January 3, 2009, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dover, Delaware's Museum Square will present "The World in Print and Sound," a series of activities designed to explore communication and news "happenings" at the turn of the 20th century.
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 news happenings through discussions on William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. The line-up also includes demonstrations on the 1897 Pearl printing press and a craft activity exploring stenciling as a form of embellishment. In addition, the Johnson Victrola Museum will feature a program on how radio changed the recording industry, and the Delaware Archaeology Museum will highlight early forms of communication including the significance of drums. |
Edward McWilliams |
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HCA's Curator of Exhibits, Edward McWilliams, has been working for several months with the Ocean View Historical Society on plans for a new museum to be located in the Shores house, the 2nd oldest house in Ocean View. The new museum is slated to be named The Coastal Towns Museum. McWilliams has been advising the group on strategies for creating and managing a successful museum.
On November 18, 2008, McWilliams gave a presentation at the Ocean View Town Hall regarding the proposed museum which included a gallery plan, and suggestions for space allocation and interpretive schematics. The presentation was attended by historical society members, members of the general public, and family members whose parents had lived in the Shores house. Click on the following for newspaper accounts of the project: |
| On December 4, 2008, an historic 1848 map of New Castle by Samuel R. Rea was returned to Delaware after being restored to its former luster at the Conservation Center in Philadelphia where it was treated for foxing (brown mold and age spots), stains and grime, and paper breakage. The hand-colored map, which had been exposed to decades of exposure in the New Castle Court House, has now been returned to good condition. It has been placed in a sealed, ultraviolet-glazed housing package, and mounted in a period sensitive frame. The map will eventually be re-hung in the Court House. |
Kathy Bradford |
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On December 8, 2008, Lisa Napadensky of the Department of State's Wilmington office spoke with James Cotton of Connecticut who recently visited HCA's New Castle Court House Museum where he received a one-hour tour conducted by Historic Site Interpreter Kathy Bradford. According to Napadensky, Cotton "raved about the tour, [about] how informative Kathy was, and how welcomed he felt." |
| On December 4, 2008, the Archaeological Society of Delaware launched its new Web site. Founded in 1933 by amateur and professional archaeologists, the Society is dedicated to the study and appreciation of archaeology and historic preservation. Several members of HCA's staff are affiliated with the Society including archaeologists Alice Guerrant who serves as secretary, and Craig Lukezic who serves as state liaison. The organization's Web site is http://www.delawarearchaeology.org. |
| Archaeological investigations are currently being conducted by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) at Boyd's Corner (intersection of Routes 13 and 896) north of Odessa, New Castle County, Delaware.
Historical research and previous archaeological testing indicate that the remains of the Boyd store and house survive at the site. The purpose of the ongoing excavations is to investigate these remains to learn more about stores and rural life in 19th-century Delaware. The site is eventually slated to be paved as part of a road expansion project. HCA archaeologist Gwen Davis has been reviewing the project as part of the State Historic Preservation Office's (SHPO) responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires that federal agencies consider the effects their projects may have on historic properties. The Boyd's Corner excavations are being carried out pursuant to an agreement among the Federal Highway Administration, DelDOT, and SHPO. For more information on the project: |
| In conjunction with the New Castle Historical Society, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be conducting 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 take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at the New Castle Courthouse, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, DE 19720. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Persons interested in attending should reserve a space by calling the New Castle Historical Society at 302-322-2794.
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. Delaware's Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program assists property owners in the preservation of historic buildings and encourages reinvestment in existing communities by providing Delaware income tax credits for the substantial rehabilitation of National Register of Historic Places-listed properties. The program provides for a reduction in state income tax equal to a percentage of the monies expended in rehabilitating historic properties. Delaware historic preservation tax credits are available to both investors in income-producing properties and to individual homeowners. Properties need not be listed individually on the National Register but may be contributing buildings in a National Register-listed district, such as the New Castle Historic District. For additional information, contact Joan Larrivee, manager, Delaware Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program at 302-736-7400 or joan.larrivee@state.de.us |