Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs - State of Delaware

Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild Demonstrations
2025-04-12 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, DE, 19901
Demonstrations by the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild. Program occurs during tours to explore fiber arts pursuits and may include spinning, weaving, knitting, and other historic handcrafts.

Make a Delft Tile
2025-04-12 11:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-05 11:00 - 15:00 | Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE, 19958
Learn about Delft tiles and make one yourself! No ceramic experience is required, these Delft tiles are made with pre-fabricated white tiles that can be decorated however you like.

2025 Delmarva Archaeology and History Symposium
2025-04-05 | The Arsenal, 30 Market St, New Castle, DE, 19720, United States
Saturday, April 5, 2025
The Arsenal
30 Market St., New Castle, DE 19720
The Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, in partnership with the Archaeological Society of Delaware, is organizing the annual symposium on Delaware archaeology and history, to be hosted this year by the New Castle Historical Society. This annual symposium will feature presentations highlighting archaeological investigations, historical research and related topics for the Delmarva Peninsula and surrounding areas. This event is free and open to the public.
For additional information, contact Hannah Lewis at Hannah.Lewis@delaware.gov or by calling 302-736-7437. The full schedule of events can be found below.

9-9:15 a.m.: Welcome
Gwen Davis (Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer) & John Martin (President of the Archaeological Society of Delaware)

9:15-9:45 a.m.: Out of the Field and Into the Flat: Understanding Collections Management and its Importance in Archaeology
Karli Palmer (Curator, HCA)

9:45-10:15 a.m.: Maintaining Middle Woodland Relationships at Millsboro Pond, Sussex County
John Martin (Cultural Resources Program Supervisor, DelDOT)

Break

10:30-11 a.m.: Rescue Archaeology at Lovett Farmstead, Middletown
Anna Hansen (Student, University of Delaware)

11-11:30 a.m.: Colonial Ceramic Fashions in the Delaware Valley: Testing Taste in a Community of Faith
John McCarthy (Archaeologist, DelDOT)

11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Shedding Light on Black History in Delaware with the Plantation Stories Project
Annie Fenimore (Lead Interpreter, John Dickinson Plantation, HCA)

Lunch

1-1:30 p.m.: A Nearly Forgotten Early 20th Century Avocational Archaeologist – and Delawarean – Who Helped Change the Profession Forever
Steve Cox (Historical Interpreter, Johnson Victrola Museum, HCA)

1:30-2 p.m.: Fast Landing to Duck Creek Crossroads
Bruce Bendler (Adjunct Professor of History, University of Delaware)

Break

2:15-2:45 p.m.: Phase II Excavations at the Francina Plantation
Bill Liebknecht (Dovetail Cultural Resource Group)

2:45 – 3:15 p.m.: The Cannon Maston House: Architectural Investigations Provide New Understanding for One of Southern Delaware’s Earliest Buildings
Barton Ross (President, Barton Ross & Partners LLC)

3:15-3:45 p.m.: Survey in Delaware: A Look Back and a Look Ahead
Gwen Davis, Hannah Lewis, & Sarah Carr (Delaware SHPO)

Closing Remarks

Spring at the Zwaanendael Museum
2025-04-01 10:00 - 16:30 | Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE, 19958
Celebrate the spring season! Just in time for the Lewes Tulip Celebration, the Zwaanendael Museum will be decorated by the Sussex Gardeners. Come visit the museum, see the decorations, and enjoy the local tulips.

Friends of Folk Concert Series: Skyler Cumbia
2025-03-14 19:30 - 20:30 | Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover, DE, 19901
Skyler Cumbia is a singer songwriter and music therapist, originally from Virginia. She has lived in Wilmington for over four years. A multi-instrumentalist who enjoys many genres of music, she will most often be found playing folk and pop music with an occasional jazz standard. Skyler got involved in the Wilmington music scene and the surrounding areas through open mics and gigging at coffee shops, breweries, and music festivals. From connections made through those experiences, she was able to record and release an EP of original music this year. Her music is influenced and inspired by experiences and thoughts on life, international travels, love of nature, and much more. As a music therapist, Skyler works for a hospice company, collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of nurses, social workers, and chaplains to manage symptoms and support patients physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. She visits patients wherever they live in Delaware and uses their preferred music to decrease pain, anxiety, shortness of breath, etc. She may also support them in life review and reminiscence and provide the opportunity for engagement in active music making, songwriting, or legacy projects.
Learn more about Skyler Cumbia on her website.

Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild Demonstrations
2025-03-08 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-02-08 13:00 - 15:00, 2024-12-14 13:00 - 15:00 | John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, DE, 19901
Demonstrations by the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild. Program occurs during tours to explore fiber arts pursuits and may include spinning, weaving, knitting, and other historic handcrafts. Group meeting takes place in the Mansion Dining Room.

Stories and History: Let's Talk About Monuments
2025-03-08 11:00 - 12:00 | New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Delaware, 19720, United States
Museum staff will use a toolkit from the Delaware Humanities to discuss monuments, their controversies and possible creative solutions with a guided activity.

Tea Time Fun with History and Science
2025-03-08 10:00 - 11:30 | St. Jones Reserve, 818 Kitts Hummock Rd, Dover, DE, 19901
Join DNERR and John Dickinson Plantation education staff for a free morning of history and science. Sip tea while learning about the historical purposes of tea, specifically how tea was integrated throughout life at the John Dickinson Plantation. But tea isn’t just for drinking, it is also for innovative research! Learn how DNERR scientists use tea to measure decomposition in the marsh surrounding the St. Jones River. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.
Click here to register!

CANCELED Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation Meeting
2025-02-26 10:00 - 12:00 | Delaware Center for Material Culture (CMC), 1351 W North Street, Dover, DE, 19901
The Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation serves as the advisory body to the state historic preservation officer, the official appointed by the governor to oversee and implement the state’s preservation policies in accordance with federal standards. As part of its responsibilities, the State Review Board evaluates historic properties for placement in the National Register of Historic Places, and provides professional advice on historic preservation matters.

The next State Review Board is scheduled for February 26 2025, from 10am to noon, at the Delaware Center for Material Culture (1351 West North Street Suite 102, Dover, DE), with the option to attend virtually via Zoom. Please note, this meeting is a continuation of the Boards January 15, 2025, meeting, where the Board did not have quorum and was unable to make motions or vote. As part of the meeting, State Review Board members will consider the nomination for Independence Mall, located at 1601 Concord Pike in Wilmington for submission to the National Park Service for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. For a copy of the nomination please visit our website at https://history.delaware.gov/ or contact Emily Whaley at Emily.Whaley@delaware.gov.

Collision on Route 40: Cold War Tensions and Civil Rights
2025-02-22 12:00 - 13:00 | New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Delaware, 19720, United States
This presentation brought to you by Delaware Humanities explores how Route 40 in Delaware and Maryland became an unexpected battleground for Cold War tensions and civil rights. On this corridor between Baltimore and the Delaware Memorial Bridge, international diplomacy, African decolonization, Jim Crow, Soviet propagandists, and Freedom Riders collided, forcing a confrontation for the Kennedy administration that involved global tensions and domestic policy.

Trivia Night with John Dickinson Plantation at the St. Jones Reserve
2025-02-21 18:00 - 20:00 | St. Jones Reserve, 818 Kitts Hummock Rd, Dover, DE, 19901
Do you have a surplus of Delaware-related history and nature knowledge you would love to showoff? Do you like engaging in friendly competition and want the chance to win a cool prize? Then you should join DNERR and the John Dickinson Plantation’s education team for a Delaware-themed science and history trivia night at the ST. Jones Reserve!
Light refreshments will be provided. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Click here to register!

Friends of Folk Concert Series: Ampersand, Stella Prince
2025-02-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover, DE, 19901
Opening the evening will be Nashville-based singer songwriter Stella Prince. Shaping her emotions into powerful songs and performances that put her visceral voice at center stage, Stella Prince has forged her own genre. Her Gen Z folk has earned her sold-out shows across North America and Europe, history-making Nashville performances at AMERICANAFEST and Tin Pan South, and a #1 on the Official Folk Charts. She is a winner of the 2023 Folk Alliance First Timers Scholarship and finalist for the 2024 John Cirillo Songwriting Award.
Learn more about Stella Prince on her website.
Ampersand interprets music from the folk and old-time American traditions on modern instruments with treasured songs and lively instrumentals, finding great joy in bringing this music to modern ears. The core of Ampersand is Beth Lawton and Dick Hogle, whose duo work shines with the spark of vocal harmonies and a shared musical sensibility. The Ampersand name is particularly appropriate since the whole of this group is definitely more than the sum of its parts. Band manager and mother hen, Beth incorporates a wide range of vocal styles to her music, adding harmonies that range from sultry to playful. Guitar, hammered dulcimer, and occasionally banjo or mountain dulcimer are her instruments of choice. Bringing a warm bluesy style to the group, Dick offers guitar leads, a strong baritone voice, and more recently, mandolin leads and banjo pickin’ to the mix. Topher Lawton’s mellow baritone voice and foot-stompin’ bones-playing add a depth to all the gigs he joins in on. Topher’s specialty is early music, including shape note singing, but he is willing to play “modern” colonial-era tunes when need be. Cello, bouzouki, and penny whistles round out his offerings. Eastern Shore musician Dave Moore brings guitar, harmonica, banjo, and bass to the group, adding his voice to the rich harmonies.
Learn more about Ampersand on their website.

Make a Sailor Valentine
2025-02-08 11:00 - 15:00 | Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE, 19958
Purchased by sailors on their travels to give to their sweethearts back home, sailor valentines were popular souvenirs. Learn about these intricate works of art and make one yourself!

Paul Robeson's Sacrifice
2025-02-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover, DE, 19901
Local historian Syl Woolford will discuss the activism of Paul Robeson, a successful actor and singer of the early 20th century. In the 1940s Robeson turned his attention to addressing racism throughout the world. Taking a stance on the issue impacted his career and his life.

Make a Sailor Valentine
2025-01-25 11:00 - 15:00 | Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE, 19958
Purchased by sailors for their sweethearts back home, sailor valentines were popular souvenirs. Learn about these intricate works of art and make one yourself!

The Trial of Thomas Garrett
2025-01-18 12:00 - 13:00 | New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Delaware, 19720, United States
Come participate in the 1848 trial of abolitionist Thomas Garrett in the very court room where it happened. Volunteers will get the chance to stand as witnesses or even been on the jury of the recreation of this Federal Trial. Scripts will be provided to those participating.

Chow Time: The History of Military Food in Delaware
2025-01-18 10:00 - 11:00 | New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Delaware, 19720, United States
Throughout the military history of the United States, the state of Delaware has supplied some of the best soldiers in the nation as well as being the home to numerous Army camps, forts, and bases. Even today the state still has numerous U.S. Army National Guard armoires and installations as well as New Castle Air National Guard and Dover Air Force Bases. This lecture aims to discuss what U.S. soldiers from Delaware and others who served at the many camps, forts and bases ate since the American Revolutionary War to World War II. The lecture will show how the rations given to U.S. soldiers slowly changed over time leading to the U.S. Army being the best fed army during World War II.

Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation Meeting
2025-01-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Delaware Center for Material Culture (CMC), 1351 W North Street, Dover, DE, 19901
The Delaware State Review Board for Historic Preservation serves as the advisory body to the state historic preservation officer, the official appointed by the governor to oversee and implement the state’s preservation policies in accordance with federal standards. As part of its responsibilities, the State Review Board evaluates historic properties for placement in the National Register of Historic Places, and provides professional advice on historic preservation matters.
The next State Review Board is scheduled for January 15, 2025, from 10am to noon, at the Delaware Center for Material Culture (1351 West North Street Suite 102, Dover, DE), with the option to attend virtually via Zoom. As part of the meeting, State Review Board members will consider the nomination for Independence Mall, located at 1601 Concord Pike in Wilmington for submission to the National Park Service for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. For a copy of the nomination please visit our website at https://history.delaware.gov/ or contact Emily Whaley at Emily.Whaley@delaware.gov.

Cooch's Bridge Historic Site Rehabilitation Project Public Meeting
2025-01-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Buena Vista Conference Center, 661 S DuPont Hwy, New Castle, DE, 19720, United States
Delaware Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs and Cooch’s Bridge Historic Site staff will present information about rehabilitation efforts at the Cooch’s Bridge Historic Site, partially funded by a Semiquincentennial grant from the National Park Service. Questions and comments from the public will be heard after the presentation concludes.
This meeting will be held in person at Buena Vista Conference Center. Doors will open at 5:30 PM with the presentation starting at 6 PM.
For those who cannot attend in person, a webinar will be held via Zoom. Registration is required to join the webinar and can be completed by following the link below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L_kQN2jXS16dTFx-a5Ztzg

Friends of Folk Concert Series: Red Smith & Blue Dawn
2025-01-10 19:30 - 20:30 | Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover, DE, 19901
Red Smith and Blue Dawn is an acoustic string band known for their captivating blend of folk, bluegrass, and Americana music. Formed in January 2024 the band features a lineup of skilled musicians who bring together a rich mix of traditional and original tunes. Their sound is characterized by lively mandolin and intricate dobro leads, held down by steady guitar and bass grooves with modern sensibilities. The band’s repertoire includes a variety of genres, from upbeat, foot-stomping bluegrass to soulful ballads and everything in between. Their performances are celebrated for their high energy, tight arrangements, engaging lyrics and storytelling. Red Smith and Blue Dawn have built a strong following through their energetic live shows and have been featured at numerous festivals and local venues, steadily gaining recognition for their authentic sound and dynamic stage presence.
Learn more about this band in their Facebook page.

All Museums and Offices Closed
2025-01-01, 2024-12-25 | DE

Spirit of New Castle
2024-12-14 | New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Delaware, 19720, United States
The annual citywide holiday event to shop and explore the museums and houses of Historic New Castle at the holidays.
For more information visit the Spirit of New Castle website.

Friends of Folk Concert Series: Bryan & the Barn Owls
2024-12-13 19:30 - 20:30 | Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover, DE, 19901
Born into a family with a deep love of music, Bryan was quickly drawn into the art. Bryan’s first guitar was a flamenco guitar handed down from his uncle. As he moved in and out of various bands through high school/college, Bryan developed a unique songwriting style derived from his many influences, including John Denver, Johnny Cash and Jim Croce. He also gained experience as a composer, thus mastering the song process from start to finish. After a year studying music in Los Angeles, Bryan returned to his home state of Delaware in late 2012 to start his journey as a solo artist. He draws his inspiration from America’s landscape, his personal journey as an artist and events in history. Since 2014 he has released 4 albums, got nominated for “Best Local Artist” award in 2016 & won Delaware Todays “Best Local Artist downstate” award in 2021. In 2018, Bryan started “Bryan & The Barn Owls” to further develop his sound. Why “Barn Owls” you may ask? The name was chosen because Bryan believed when one thinks of barns, they think of rustic Americana & when one thinks of Owls, they think of creatures thriving in the night. In that logic, Barn Owls seemed to encapsulate the vision! Backed by John Heinz on fiddle and Phinex Diego on upright bass, the Barn Owls deliver a true sample of the American countryside.
Learn more on their website.

Who Were the Signers: Delaware’s Ratification Document
2024-12-07 10:00 - 16:30 | DE
In honor of Delaware Day, tours of the Old State House will focus on the stories of some of the signers of Delaware’s ratification document. Come visit us and hear the story of how Delaware earned its nickname of the First State!
Building tours start at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM. They are free and open to the public.

Holiday Tour of the Zwaanendael Museum
2024-12-07 10:00 - 16:00 | Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, DE, 19958
Enjoy the museum’s festive holiday décor created by the Sussex Gardeners. Event held in conjunction with the Lewes Historical Society’s Christmas Tour of Lewes.

Delaware Day: We the People
2024-12-07 10:00 - 16:00 | New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, Delaware, 19720, United States
As part of our Delaware Day celebration, visitors can learn how certain events influence and help lawmakers create legislation that protects citizens’ rights.
Participants will put themselves in lawmakers’ shoes and create their own hypothetical laws to protect individual rights and liberties based on various scenarios. Afterwards, tours will briefly look into the history of similar laws and their association to the US Constitution.
