Blog Posts Archive

We are excited to announce that the Delaware Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs has been selected to participate in the American Association of Museums‘ (AAM) Museum Assessment Program (MAP).  Through a year-long process of guided self-study and on-site consultation with museum professionals, this initiative will empower the division to better serve the community by […]

By: Madeline E. Dunn Curator of Education – Historian Question: What do the National Guard, West Point, and International Style architecture have in common with Delaware? Answer: Stuart Randall Carswell. Who was Stuart Randall Carswell? Mr. Carswell was born in New Castle County, Delaware in 1891 and attended primary and secondary schools in Wilmington.  He […]

Last February, we shared a “behind-the-scenes” glimpse of a film crew from the National Geographic Channel working on a segment from their new show, America’s Lost Treasures, at the Johnson Victrola Museum. For those of you who didn’t get to see the finished product’s premiere last Wednesday, here’s a taste of what you missed: Has […]

By Alice Guerrant, Historic Archaeologist This is HCA’s first blog on the topic of preservation, so we thought it appropriate to introduce, for what may be the first time for many readers, the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office. Historic preservation means the study, protection, and maintenance of the historic places that keep us in touch […]

Earlier this week, a film crew from the National Geographic Channel made a special stop at HCA’s Johnson Victrola Museum in Dover. The team is on the tail end of a tour across the country gathering footage for their new and upcoming show, America’s Lost Treasures. That’s all we can really say, as we were […]

While there aren’t any Olympic medals in the state’s collections of historic objects, we care for metal items of all kinds. We thought it might be fun to join in the Olympic spirit by highlighting some random bronze, silver, and gold objects as we round out the last three days of the games. First (or […]

As the Olympic Games come to a close across the pond, our thematic sampler from the state’s collections must also come to an end… but we will keep up the guessing game from yesterday as we present you with one of Delaware’s gold historical treasures:   What do you think this treasure could be?

We continue to celebrate the Summer Olympics in London by highlighting something silver from the state’s collections of historic objects… We thought it might by fun to let you figure out what this one is… It was made by Bancroft Woodcock. Here is a close-up of his maker’s mark: So what do you think? An […]

Last month on Flickr, the National Park Service launched its 2012 National Historic Landmarks Photo Contest. Some impressive images have trickled into the album from historic sites and talented artists from across the country, but Delaware has yet to make so much as a ripple in the pool of contenders! Naturally… we feel compelled to […]

By Alice Guerrant It’s important every so often to step back and evaluate what you’ve done so that you can see if you need to change something. Every five years, the State Historic Preservation Office leads the effort to produce a new statewide historic preservation plan. This is our chance as historic preservationists to ask […]

By: Alice Guerrant The staff of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs has finished the first complete draft of the statewide historic preservation plan for 2013-2018. We’ve kept it as short as possible, while making sure the necessary background is included. Help us make the plan better! Click here to download a copy of […]

By Alice Guerrant, Historic Archaeologist Our statewide historic preservation plan continues to move forward! Last month, we spent a day at Buena Vista Conference Center with preservationists and planners from around the state to hash out a set of goals based on all of the comments that we’ve been given. It was a very productive […]

By Alice Guerrant, Historic Archaeologist Our efforts to update the historic preservation plan are moving steadily forward. The Division has held public meetings across the state to hear from our citizens about the problems and issues that most concern them. Over 70 people attended these meetings and we heard a wide range of issues and […]

On October 25th, Delaware said goodbye to a beloved artist and friend in Charles Parks. Mr. Parks passed on at the age of 90 in Wilmington, Delaware. Just over a year ago, the State of Delaware was honored to accept the generous donation of more than 300 sculptures and personal objects from the famed sculptor’s […]

We were saddened to learn this morning of the passing of beloved Delaware artist, Jack Lewis. With a career spanning the course of nearly a century, Mr. Lewis created a prolific body of work that captured and brought out the beauty in Delaware and Delawareans alike. The State of Delaware is fortunate to have more […]

By: Lindsay McNinch In September of 2011, HCA launched a new Volunteer Program.  As the Volunteer Program’s first appearance on the division’s blog, I wanted to take this opportunity to showcase some of the benefits you may receive from volunteering with us. Tying in with the Division’s mission to promote Delaware’s historical legacies, HCA’s Volunteer […]