Watch C-SPAN Segments Filmed in Dover, Del.
Beginning on July 20, 2013, C-SPAN, the public-affairs television network, will be posting 13 television segments on its website featuring the literary life and history of Delaware’s capital city of Dover. The segments can be viewed at the following Web address: www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Dover.
C-SPAN will also be broadcasting the segments on non-fiction book channel BookTV (on C-SPAN2) and history channel American History TV (on C-SPAN3) during the weekend of July 20 and 21, 2013. In addition to having the segments sprinkled in throughout the weekend on the respective networks, both American History TV and Book TV will broadcast the following block programming where all of their respective Dover pieces will air.
American History TV segments to be broadcast on Sunday, July 21, 2013 at 5 p.m. ET
- See the Johnson Victrola Museum which salutes one-time Dover resident Eldridge Reeves Johnson. Johnson founded the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901. Hear Ann Baker Horsey, curator of collections for the Delaware Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs, talk about Johnson’s early years in Dover and how his innovations changed “talking machines.” See and hear the machines that are on display in the museum.
- Tour Delaware‘s historic Old State House and learn about the history of the first capitol building in Dover. Located on the historic Green, The Old State House has served as a focal point in the state’s civic life for over two centuries. Hear the stories of some of the people who once walked the halls of this historic building.
- Explore the Air Mobility Command Museum where museum director Mike Leister shows some of the aircraft once used in the airlift and air refueling mission of the U.S. Air Force. Follow Leister inside a retired C-47 that was used in D-Day operations and a C-133 once used to haul strategic missiles, and venture up into the old control tower that once sat on the Dover Air Force Base grounds.
- Hear about the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations—Dignified Transfer which receives the remains of America’s fallen at Dover Air Force Base. Its mission is to fulfill the nation’s sacred commitment of ensuring dignity, honor and respect to the fallen; and providing care, service and support for their families. One of its responsibilities is that of a solemn dignified transfer of the remains upon arrival at the base. In March 2009, the U.S. Secretary of Defense announced a change in policy which now permits media access to cover dignified transfers—with the consent of the families. Hear Colonel John Devillier, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations commander, talk about the Port Mortuary and the importance of the dignified transfer.
- Learn about Delaware and the state’s political history with Governor Jack Markell (D-Del.).
- Investigate John Dickinson, an American lawyer and politician who made many contributions to the founding of the United States. While serving as president (governor) of Delaware, Dickinson drafted a manual to ready the state’s militia for battle. Filmed during a meeting of the Friends of the John Dickinson Mansion, hear Chuck Fithian, archaeologist with the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, talk about Dickinson’s efforts to develop the manual and maintain the state’s defenses.
Book TV segments to be broadcast on Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. ET
- Jane Calvert, author of “Quaker Constitutionalism and the Political Thought of John Dickinson,” discusses the life and impact of Dickinson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, signer of the Constitution and “Penman of the Revolution,” through a series of his writings.
- Explore the Delaware Public Archives rare-book collections as Archives director Stephen Marz takes us through some of the rare collections and shows the unique process of preparing and storing these historical books.
- Hear author, Vincent DePaul Gisriel talk about his book “Hearts Away, Bombs Away.”
- Listen to Dr. Bradley Skelcher, author of “African American Education in Delaware,” as he explores the history of African Americans’ struggles in the post-Civil War era. Skelcher shares his stories through photos of African Americans who fought to provide an education for their children.
- Learn about the Delaware Heritage Commission from its chairman Richard Carter as he talks about the importance of the commission and the impact it has had on Delaware’s history.
- John Alstadt, author of “With Love to Yourself and Baby: The Story of the Poison Candy Murders,” discusses the first murder-by-mail case in Dover which occurred in August 1898.
- Visit Marie Shane, co-owner of Acorn Books—the only bookstore within 40 miles of Dover—to hear about the challenges of owning an independent bookstore.
All of the video segments were filmed during June 2013 as part of C-SPAN’s 2013 Cities Tour, a partnership with Comcast Cable that takes the network’s Book TV and American History TV on the road. From its debut in 2011 to date, the C-SPAN Cities Tour has visited 31 cities across the nation. The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with C-SPAN, Comcast and the City of Dover, helped organize the many logistics associated with filming at the respective sites around the city.
Created by the cable TV industry and now serving 100 million TV households, C-SPAN programs three public-affairs television networks in both standard-definition and high-definition video; C-SPAN Radio, heard in Washington D.C. and nationwide via XM Satellite Radio; and a video-rich website which hosts the C-SPAN Video Library.