Division bids farewell to historic-site interpreter Latecia Prophet
The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs has bid farewell to historic-site interpreter Latecia Prophet who recently retired from The Old State House after a nearly ten-year career.
Born and raised in New York City, Prophet first visited Dover when her daughter was a student at Delaware State University. Liking the quality of life that she saw there, Prophet moved to Delaware’s capital city in 1997 and worked at The Old State House from 2007 to 2009. After a five-year hiatus, she returned to the museum in 2014 where she remained until 2019.
During her stint at the site, Prophet was passionate about researching local history and sharing her knowledge with young people so that they could understand how events in their own communities impacted their lives. She is particularly proud of the research that she conducted on the lives of Underground Railroad conductor Samuel D. Burris and multi-generations of the Shadd family who were prominent abolitionists.
Prophet also enjoyed helping to create, and act in, historical-theater works including “Fully, Freely and Entirely—Becoming the First State” in which she portrayed Latecia, a free woman of color; and “William Penn vs Lord Baltimore: Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” in which she portrayed King James II.
According to Nena Todd, site supervisor of The Old State House, “Latecia was willing to participate in any of our activities and could always be counted on to work on weekends when most of our special programs were presented. We wish her the best for her retirement. She will be greatly missed.”