Allen McLane symposium to take place in Dover on Oct. 25, 2014
On Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wesley College in Dover, Del. will host a symposium on the life and military career of Allen McLane, the noted American patriot from Duck Creek (Smyrna), Del.
Speakers will include John A. Nagy, author of “Spies in the Continental Capital: Espionage Across Pennsylvania During the American Revolution”; Glenn F. Williams, a historian at the US Army Center of Military History and author of “Year of the Hangman: George Washington’s Campaign Against the Iroquois”; retired Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs curator of archaeology Chuck Fithian; Michael Lloyd, long-term McLane researcher; Edith McLane Edson, McLane descendant and writer; and historian Robert Selig. Living-history performances will be provided by the First Delaware Regiment and by Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs historical interpreter Tom Welch who will portray McLane. Delaware State University professor Samuel Hoff will serve as master of ceremonies.
The symposium will take place in Wesley College’s Peninsula Room, located in the du Pont College Center at 120 N. State St. in Dover, Del. Admission is free and open to the public but pre-registration is strongly encouraged by calling 302-632-1803 or by email at tompj8129@gmail.com. Lunch is available for $10. All participants will receive a free copy of the booklet, “Allen McLane—Patriot, Soldier, Spy, Port Collector,” which has been written by a team of scholars, researchers and historians, each of whom has a unique perspective on the McLane story.
Primary sponsorship of the Allen McLane symposium is provided by the Caesar Rodney Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Delaware Historical Society, the Northern Delaware American Revolution Round Table, the Society of the Cincinnati and the Wesley College History Department.
Additional sponsorship is provided by the Claymont Historical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the Duck Creek Historical Society, the First Delaware Regiment, the Friends of Belmont Hall and the Friends of the Delaware Public Archives. Financial support is provided by gifts from Troy Foxwell, Claudia Onkean, Ginger Trader and Thomas Welch.
About Allen McLane …
Allen McLane (1746-1829) of Duck Creek Hundred served in the House of Assembly from Kent County in 1785 and 1789. He participated in numerous battles during the American Revolutionary War and worked closely with Gen. George Washington at Valley Forge. He was a member of the Delaware Convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. Later in life, he moved from Kent County to Wilmington, serving as collector of the customs for many years. He belonged to the Society of the Cincinnati, the Masonic order and was a member of the Methodist Church. His will began with the sentence, “I, Allen McLane, of the Borough of Wilmington, in the State of Delaware, Collector of the Customs of the United States for the Delaware District, and a friend and soldier of the American Revolution … .” His son, Louis McLane, became a U.S. representative, senator, secretary of state, secretary of the treasury and minister to England.