John Dickinson Plantation hosts groundbreaking ceremony for new visitor center

On Monday, November 18th, 2024, the Department of State’s Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
(HCA) held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the construction of a new the John Dickinson Plantation Visitor Center. The visitor center, slated to open in 2026, will enhance the visitor experience and further highlight the site’s historical significance with various amenities, including an expanded exhibition space that will feature the exhibit “One Land, Many Voices” that explores the complex history of all the people who lived, worked, and died on the John Dickinson Plantation.

“When we take the Oath of Office, we promise ‘to respect the right of future generations to share the rich historic and natural heritage of Delaware.’ The visitor’s center at the John Dickinson Plantation will help us tell the complex story of one of our nation’s most influential founding fathers, and Delaware Governor, John Dickinson. The center will also importantly share the stories of the enslaved, indentured, free, and freedom-seeking individuals and families on the Plantation,” said Governor Carney. “I look forward to visiting again myself, but I am most excited that generations of Delawareans and visitors will explore the complex fabric of our state’s history by experiencing this new visitor’s center.”

“The John Dickinson Plantation visitor center will serve as an important hub and resource center not just for Delawareans,but for visitors to our state,” said Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long. “We are able to draw connections from throughout history to the present and explore ways to continue advancing equity and justice.”

The visitor center will feature a multipurpose community room which will be available for school programs, educational programs, and community events for up to 120 people. Visitors will also be able to engage with history through hands-on programming offered in the 590 sq. ft. activity center.

“This is so much more than a visitor center. It’s a gateway into the history of our state in all its complexity,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “Today, we’re making good on our promise to bring a facility like this to fruition.” Delmarva Veteran Builders, along with architects Davis Bowen & Friedel, Inc. and Core States Group, are leading the planning and construction of the project, which is estimated to cost $14.5 million.

“We are breaking ground on a building that will provide visitors and residents with new opportunities to reflect on Delaware’s complex, challenging, and inspiring history,” said Suzanne Savery, Division of Historical and
Cultural Affairs Director. “This project has been over five years in the making and presents an exciting opportunity to expand all that we do at HCA, from educational programs to community engagement.

The historic site shares the stories of the tenant farmers, indentured servants, free and enslaved Black men, women and children who lived, labored and died on the plantation. Throughout Dickinson’s life, he enslaved many men, women and children, until 1786, when he unconditionally manumitted 59 people – all the enslaved individuals he owned at that time.

“We have to run to the truth and we have to embrace it and then learn how to better accept it, deal with it, speak to it,” said State Senator Eric Buckson. “Erasing it doesn’t make it go away.”

“Freedom and liberty are not something that is lost on us,” said House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris. “The civil rights that many of us take for granted are often hedged by those who are of enslaved ancestry.”

The John Dickinson Plantation is a partner site of First State National Historical Park, and a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom, the Bayshore Byway, and an American Alliance of Museums accredited museum.