Collections Program
Administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ Collections, Affiliates, Research and Exhibits (CARE) Team, the Collections Program preserves, and holds in public trust, a record of Delaware’s heritage by acquiring objects made in the First State or used by Delawareans throughout history. The primary function of the program is stewardship of the State […]
World War II: Mission Symbols
What are mission symbols? Learning about mission symbols painted on aircraft during World War II has proved to be somewhat difficult but interesting research. Mission symbols, also known as mission marks, kill markings and victory decals, are the small symbols painted on the sides of planes, usually near the cockpit or nose, which are […]
World War II: On a Wing and a Prayer: A Closer Look at Military Glider Aircraft
In my previous online display, I explained that gliders were lightweight engineless aircraft that were used by the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II to transport troops and heavy equipment into enemy controlled areas without detection. However, the United States was not the first to use this innovation so how did the idea […]
Word War II: America’s Heavy Hitter – The B-17 Flying Fortress
In a previous display, I discussed military gliders used during World War II but now I would like to move on to an aircraft that played a pivotal role in the outcome of the war, the B-17 Flying Fortress. What, you ask, was a Flying Fortress? Developed by the Boeing Company in the 1930s, […]
World War II: “Donut Dollies” & the American Red Cross
Are you familiar with the Donut Dollies and the important role they played during World War II? Donut Dollies was the popular term used to refer to the American Red Cross women who volunteered to work overseas in mobile service clubs called clubmobiles. These Red Cross volunteers served to provide food, entertainment and a bit […]
Visit & Learn
Note: In accordance with Gov. Carney’s Phase II plans for reopening the state, the five museums administered by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs are open for self-guided tours via reservation only. Go to the following for additional information.
Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck
Searching for the source of these artifacts, an underwater archaeological investigation located the shipwreck site in 2005, while a second investigation in 2006 recovered a wide range of artifacts representing the ship’s cargo. Historical data, archaeological evidence, and the geographic location of the shipwreck suggest that the vessel is a British merchant ship that ran […]
John Dickinson Plantation Exhibits and Displays
Welcome Center Five Stories: The people & Families of the Plantation Simple Machines Exhibit which focuses on the six simple machines (inclined plane, screw, wedge, pulley, lever, and wheel and axle) that constitute the elementary building blocks of which many more-complicated machines are composed. Each of these machines was in common usage at the […]
Zwaanendael Museum Activities
Exhibits & Displays First and Second Floor Galleries Delaware Railroads: Elegant Travel and Timely Transport This exhibit utilizes photographs; and posters, tickets, timetables, maps and historical objects from the collections of the State of Delaware to tell the history of rail travel and transport in the First State. In particular, the exhibit explores four railroads […]
The People: Samuel D. Burris
Samuel D. Burris (1813-1863), a free Black man from the Willow Grove area of Kent County, Delaware, risked his own welfare, and that of his wife and five children, while serving as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Burris willingly assisted enslaved people to safely navigate through Delaware into Pennsylvania. During the 1830s and 1840s, […]
