Programs on America’s struggle for independence among 20 special events sponsored by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs during July 2016

(DOVER, Del.—June 20, 2016)—During the month of July 2016, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be offering 20 special events at sites across the state including five programs focusing on America’s struggle for independence. A full schedule of events is listed below.

Highlights of the month include a series of patriotic-themed activities held on Monday, July 4, 2016 at The Old State House located at 25 The Green in Dover. At 1 p.m., the museum will present a spoken-word performance by area youth on Delaware's role in the 13 Colonies’ fight for independence from England. The performance is part of “Listen Up!,” a year-long series of activities in which participants research and develop their own spoken-word presentations based on events in Delaware history. At 2 and 4 p.m., the bell of The Old State House will ring in celebration of the nation’s birthday, followed immediately by site interpreters, dressed in period clothing, who will recite the Declaration of Independence aloud from the spot where the document was first read to the citizens of Dover in 1776.

Historical interpreters will recite the Declaration of Independence from the steps of Dover’s Old State House on July 4, 2016.

Between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday July 2 and Monday, July 4, 2016, the Johnson Victrola Museum, located at 375 S. New St. in Dover, will present “Stars and Stripes,” special guided tours that explore some of Victor Records’ many recordings of patriotic music accompanied by 78-rpm records played on authentic Victor Talking Machines.

Finally, on Wednesday, July 13 at 7 p.m., the New Castle Court House Museum, located at 211 Delaware St. in historic downtown New Castle, will present “1776—Independence Declared,” a lecture by historic-site interpreter Bob Vander Decker. The lecture is part seven of “The Founding of America in One Year,” a year-long series that examines important local and national events that led to the founding of the United States.

Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs special programs, July 2016

Saturday July 2, 2016

“Independence Day.” Screening of the film “Thunder and Rain” about Caesar Rodney’s historic ride to Philadelphia to break the tie for the Declaration of Independence. First Saturday in the First State program. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Film screenings at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Free admission. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Saturday July 2 and Monday, July 4, 2016

“Stars and Stripes.” In celebration of Independence Day, guided tours explore some of Victor Records’ many recordings of patriotic music accompanied by 78-rpm records played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-739-3262.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Independence Day. All museums of the State of Delaware will be open: The Johnson Victrola Museum, open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; The Old State House, open 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; the John Dickinson Plantation, New Castle Court House Museum and the Zwaanendael Museum, open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-736-7400.

Monday, July 4, 2016

“Independence Day.” Performance at 1 p.m. by youth participating in the “Listen Up!” spoken-word program on the meaning of Independence Day. At 2 and 4 p.m., the bell of The Old State House will ring in celebration of the nation’s birthday, followed immediately by site interpreters, dressed in period clothing, who will recite the Declaration of Independence aloud from the spot where the document was first read to the citizens of Dover in 1776. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Museum open 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Free admission. 302-744-5054.

Wednesdays and Thursdays, July 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28, 2016

“Lost Off Lewes: The British Warship DeBraak.” Special tour explores the 18th-century history, artifacts and the surviving hull section of this shipwreck. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 9 a.m. Limited seating. Admission $10 by reservation only through the Shop Delaware website (go to http://shop.delaware.gov and click on “Tours” in the “Categories” column). For additional information, call 302-645-1148. 

Thursdays, July 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2016

“Thirsty on Thursdays.” Learn how to make cool 18th-century drinks including switchels, lemonade and tea. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Demonstrations by the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild. Program explores spinning, weaving, knitting and other fabric arts. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 1–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-739-3277.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

“1776—Independence Declared.” Lecture by historic-site interpreter Bob Vander Decker. Part seven of “The Founding of America in One Year,” a year-long series that examines important local and national events that led to the founding of the United States. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. 7 p.m. Free admission. 302-323-4453.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Summer Bridge Service Project Day. History-related activities presented by Delaware State University students as part of the school’s Jumpstart Program. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

“Movie Night on the Lawn.” Screening of the film “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” plus live music, food trucks, outdoor activities and a photo booth. Buena Vista Conference Center, 661 S. Dupont Highway (Route 13), New Castle. 6–10 p.m. Admission $3 per person. 302-323-4430.

Exhibits and displays, July 2016
In addition to special programming, the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is sponsoring the following exhibits and displays. Admission is free and open to the public:

Thru Dec. 31, 2016

“Wine and Spirits in Delaware: Producing, Preserving, and Presenting.” Exhibit features objects and graphics from the 18th to the 21st centuries that illustrate Delaware’s wine and spirits trade. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Thru mid-April, 2017

“The Old State House: A True Restoration 1976-2016.” Display explores preservation work that has been conducted since Delaware’s first state capitol building was restored to its original appearance in 1976. From the collections of the State of Delaware. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Ongoing

“Discovering Delaware’s Maritime Past.” Display explores the DeBraak, a shipwrecked 18th-century British warship including a photo of the hull recovery, reproductions of items aboard ship, and a model of the vessel. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.302-645-1148.

Ongoing

“Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey From Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad.” Exhibit chronicles the compelling story of Emeline Hawkins and her family and their 1845 odyssey on the Underground Railroad from slavery in Maryland, through Delaware to freedom in Pennsylvania. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-323-4453.

Ongoing

“A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World.” Exhibit utilizes artifacts recovered from His Majesty’s Sloop of War DeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798 to tell the story of the vessel, its crew and the historical context within which it operated in the Atlantic World of the late 18th century. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.302-645-1148.

Ongoing

Sculpture by Charles Parks. Display of works by the noted Wilmington artist featuring historical and political figures including a Minute Man, and presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George W. Bush. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-323-4453.

Ongoing

“Simple Machines.” Exhibit demonstrating the six “simple machines”—incline ramp, screw, wedge, pulley, lever and wheel—that constitute the elementary building blocks of which many more-complicated machines are composed. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. April 1–Sept. 30: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. Oct. 1–March 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is an agency of the state of Delaware. The division enhances Delaware’s quality of life by preserving the state’s unique historical heritage, fostering community stability and economic vitality and providing educational programs and assistance to the general public on Delaware history and heritage. The division’s diverse array of services includes administration of the state historic preservation office, operation of museums and a conference center, conservation of the state’s archaeological and historic-objects collections and management of historic properties across Delaware. Primary funding for division programs and services is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, a federal agency. However, the contents and opinions expressed in the division’s programs and services do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Department of the Interior.

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