On Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, visitors to the home of the “Penman of the Revolution” will explore Colonial-era job opportunities during the “18th Century Trades Day” that will take place between 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the John Dickinson Plantation located at 340 Kitts Hummock Road in Dover, Del. All activities are free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-739-3277.

“18th Century Trades Day” will provide opportunities to dye fabric 1700s-style; preserve food in the smokehouse; mold bricks out of clay; and watch a blacksmith forging iron implements, and a carpenter making wooden shingles and pegs. In addition, members of the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild will be conducting demonstrations of spinning, weaving, knitting and other fabric arts; and the 1740 mansion house will be open for guided tours throughout the day.

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 administered by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs and is a partner site in the First State National Historical Park.