John Dickinson Plantation hosts activities that bring history to life at Make a Splash 2024

Hundreds of area students visited the John Dickinson Plantation this spring to learn about the importance of water in modern daily life and throughout American history. 

The program was hosted at the John Dickinson Plantation and St. Jones Reserve, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Delaware State Parks and the Lewes Historical Society as well as the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation and the National Parks Service. Make a Splash wouldn’t have been possible without support from local schools and dozens of volunteers, as well HCA maintenance staff and others who lent a helping hand throughout the day.

The fourth-graders, from six Delaware elementary schools, were guided through a variety of activities, including those by staff from the New Castle Court House Museum and Zwaanendael Museum that illustrated the impact of coastline erosion on buildings and how fishing evolved over the course of human history along the nearby St. Jones River. Meanwhile, staff from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) taught students about how archaeological surveys are conducted by hosting a virtual dig and displaying educational objects from real-life archaeological sites. Other activities and games included sachet-making with dried flowers and herbs, a blacksmith demonstration and a historic firefighting bucket brigade relay.

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