’18th Century Trades Day’ and evening lantern tours to be featured at John Dickinson Plantation in October 2017
During the month of October 2017, visitors to Dover, Del.’s John Dickinson Plantation can enjoy two special programs that explore 18th-century trades and pastimes that might have taken place at the property during the lifetime of the “Penman of the Revolution.” For additional information, call 302-739-3277.
In the first program, “18th Century Trades Day,” which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., visitors will have an opportunity to get their hands dirty by making bricks out of clay, preserving food in the smokehouse, weaving a rug on a loom, watching a blacksmith forge iron and learning peg and shingle making. Admission is free.
In the second program, “Lantern Tours of the Plantation,” which will take place on Friday, Oct. 27, guests will explore the parties, games, and entertainment that would have abounded at the plantation during the nighttime in the 18th century. Tours will take place between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. and again between 7 and 8 p.m. and will include wagon-rides conducted by staff of the St. Jones Reserve exploring the nocturnal life of the estuary, a performer singing sea shanties in the garden, and special tours of the mansion house. Activities will conclude with a campfire in front of the plantation’s log’d dwelling. Admission is free, but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling the plantation at 302-739-3277 no later than Oct. 26.
The John Dickinson Plantation, Delaware’s first National Historic Landmark, was the boyhood home of John Dickinson, a founding father of the United States, a framer and signer of the U.S. Constitution and “Penman of the Revolution.” The Georgian-style mansion stands as a memorial to this American patriot, legislator and farmer. The museum is a partner site in the First State National Historical Park.
