Division welcomes architectural historian … and bids farewell to long-time archaeologist
During the month of December 2020, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ State Historic Preservation Office welcomed historian/architectural historian Emily Whaley and bid farewell to long-serving archaeologist Alice Guerrant.
Emily Whaley comes to the division after work as a records clerk for the government of Sussex County, Del. where she was involved in, among other responsibilities, conducting historic-preservation research. A resident of Laurel, Del., she graduated from Sussex Technical High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in historic preservation in 2019 from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. During her student days, she worked as an intern in collections management at the Laurel Historical Society and now serves as a board member for that organization.
Whaley’s responsibilities at the division include reviewing/conducting architectural surveys; reviewing nominations and project proposals for the National Register of Historic Places, historic-preservation tax credits and Certified Local Government programs; consulting with federal, state and local agencies and applicants on proposed construction projects; assisting in monitoring preservation covenants and easements; and other preservation planning work. She is based at the division’s main office located at 21 The Green in Dover.
Alice Guerrant left the division at the end of December 2020 after a three-year stint working part-time in the agency’s Historic Property Research Center. Prior to that, she served for 37 years as a division archaeologist until her retirement in January 2018. Guerrant was the recipient of many honors during her career including the division’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the H. Geiger Omwake Award from the Archaeological Society of Delaware, and most recently, the Delaware Department of State’s 2020 Employee of the Fourth Quarter Award. She continues to pursue her passion for knitting and weaving and hopes to carry on volunteer service with a number of community organizations including the Archaeological Society of Delaware and the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild.
