John Dickinson Plantation Debuts Visitor Center and Permanent Exhibit
Historical and Cultural Affairs’ newly opened John Dickinson Plantation Visitor Center, located at 250 Kitts Hummock Road in Dover, will debut its flagship exhibit, “One Land Many Voices” at a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, October 10 at 10 a.m. The multi-sensory exhibit featuring historic images and documents, artifacts, narrative text and visual media will present the complex history of all the people and communities who inhabited the area of the Plantation.
A lesser-known founding father, John Dickinson is regarded as the Penmen of the Revolution. However, his legacy and that of his family home reveal a much broader history of all who lived and labored here — Indigenous peoples, Dickinson family members, tenant farmers, indentured servants, free and enslaved Black men, women and children. Throughout Dickinson’s life, he was an enslaver, until 1786, when he unconditionally freed all 59 of the enslaved individuals. One Land Many Voices presents and memorializes all those connected to this land, giving voice to those whose work and sacrifice contributed to the legacy of this historic site.
The new building and exhibit support Historical and Cultural Affairs’ broader mission to preserve and interpret Delaware’s cultural heritage with educational programs and guided tours of historic structures. The Visitor Center will serve as a hub for school groups, researchers, and heritage tourists seeking to understand the complexities of the site and its people.
As Kent County’s newest cultural landmark and premier tourist destination, the state-of-the-art facility is a point of entry to expanded museum programs with dramatically increased visitor capacity. The opening represents the culmination of a $14.5 million capital investment project. Featuring expanded programming areas, the Visitor Center will provide additional meeting space for school programs and other educational events. The facility also features a new 1,400-square-foot screened-in pavilion designed to host school groups, youth and adult programs, community meetings, and more.
Beyond the new Visitor Center, guests can tour the original 1700s historic mansion and the reproduction buildings. October 10th is also Revolutionary Trades Day at the John Dickinson Plantation, a day-long living history event filled with demonstrations. From Blacksmithing and musket-firing to traditional dance, fiber arts and weaving, Revolutionary Trades Day brings visitors face-to-face with daily life in the 1700s. As a gateway to the property’s many offerings, the Visitor Center will ensure that the site’s enduring historical significance is preserved for generations to come.
Admission, programs, events, and exhibits will remain entirely free at the site. A fee for private use of the multipurpose room and pavilion for community meetings will apply to cover ongoing maintenance costs.
Members of the public are encouraged to follow the John Dickinson Plantation to learn more.
The John Dickinson Plantation is an American Alliance of Museums accredited institution. It operates as a partner site of the First State National Historical Park and holds memberships in the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom, and the Bayshore Byway.