‘Over There and Back Again!’ program at Dover, Del.’s Old State House on Nov. 11, 2018
On Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 at 2 p.m., The Old State House, located at 25 The Green in Dover, Del., will present “Over There and Back Again!,” a first-person performance in which lead historic-site-interpreter Gavin Malone will portray a World War I veteran discussing the differences in American society between the 1910s and the early 1920s, the end of the time period known as the Progressive Era. Admission to the program is free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-744-5054.
During the first decades of the 20th century, the United States underwent significant changes due, in large part, to the effects of a rapidly industrializing economy. Activists of the Progressives Era sought to address the problems resulting from industrialization by promoting ideas of morality, economic reform, efficiency and social welfare. Among others, the era saw the culmination of the temperance and women’s suffrage movements, as well as the nation’s profound transformation as a result of its involvement in World War I.
Historian Gavin Malone has served as a historic-site-interpreter at The Old State House and the Johnson Victrola Museum since 2012. The holder of master’s degrees in both history and teaching, Malone is an avid researcher who has been involved in the development of many of the museums’ educational programs and historical-theater presentations including, “The Minstrel Boy: the Life and Times of John McCormick,” “Play That Old Time Music: Victor Records and the Early Days of Country Music,” “Over There: World War I and the Victor Talking Machine Company,” “The Evolution of Black Recorded Music,” “Prohibition: Delaware and the 18th and 21st Amendments,” “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble: William Penn and Lord Baltimore,” “Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Empty Glass” and many more.
Completed in 1791, The Old State House is one of the earliest state-house buildings in the United States, serving as the home of Delaware’s legislature until 1933 when the General Assembly moved to larger quarters in Legislative Hall. The venerable structure now appears as it would have in the late 1700s during the United States’ critical early years as a nation. It features a courtroom, governor’s and county offices and chambers for the state’s Senate and House of Representatives. The building is situated on Dover’s historic Green, a public area designated by William Penn in 1683. The Green is a partner site of the First State National Historical Park.
