Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs to sponsor 14 special programs during the 2016 winter-holiday season

           

 The Johnson Victrola Museum will present “A Victrola for Christmas” on Dec. 3, 2016.

(DOVER, Del.—Nov. 18, 2016)—The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be sponsoring 14 special events, including nine winter-holiday-themed activities, between Nov. 26, 2016 and Jan. 2, 2017. A full schedule is included below. All programs are free and open to the public.

Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016

“Handmade for the Holidays.” Seasonal program in which visitors can create a sachet with herbs and spices. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016

“Hospitality Night: ‘The Holiday Pickle.’ ” Learn how to make pickles, explore the history of the pickle and its significance to the season and enjoy the museum trimmed for the holidays by the Sussex Gardeners. Presented in partnership with the Lewes Chamber of Commerce. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 5–8 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

“A Victrola for Christmas.” Guided tours examine the holiday marketing-strategies of Eldridge Reeves Johnson of the Victor Talking Machine Company including advertisements posted in newspapers and magazines in the early 1900s, accompanied by 78-rpm recordings of holiday music played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. First Saturday in the First State program. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3262.

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

“Tour Zwaanendael Museum.” Enjoy the museum’s festive holiday-décor. Event held in conjunction with the Lewes Historical Society’s Christmas Tour of Lewes. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

“Handmade for the Holidays.” Seasonal program in which visitors can design a holiday card with watercolors and a quill pen. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016

“Historic Holiday Traditions.” Lecture by historic-site interpreter Latecia Prophet examines holiday traditions of the 18th century. First Saturday in the First State program. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Program at 1 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

The Old State House

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016
“Listen Up! The Art of Sound.” Local youth working with Delaware spoken-word artists James Alexander, Brock Kalim and the Twin Poets, perform their own spoken-word compositions that sample historic 78-rpm Victor recordings. Part of the “Listen Up!” series that features young people who utilize poetry, theater, dance and song to create compositions that celebrate different aspects of Delaware history. First Saturday in the First State program. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover. Performance at 1 p.m. Museum open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5054.

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016

“1784-1787: Continental Congress to Constitution.” Lecture by historic-site interpreter Bob Vander Decker. Final segment 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. 302-323-4453. NOTE: Event date changed from 12-14-16 to 12-7-16.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016

“Spirit of Christmas in New Castle.” One of the best preserved Colonial-era towns in America will feature tours of historic homes bedecked in holiday decorations, Dickens-themed holiday activities, re-enactments, programs at museums including the New Castle Court House Museum, crafts, musical entertainment and more. Festivities will conclude at 5 p.m. with the annual Christmas tree lighting at Market Square. Downtown New Castle. 302-328-3279.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016

Delaware Day awards ceremony. Event honors participants in the Delaware Department of State's 15th annual Delaware Day Fourth Grade Competition which challenges students to create displays that help illustrate and explain the U.S. Constitution and the role played by Delawareans in the writing and ratification of the nation's founding document. Delaware Public Archives, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover. 10 a.m. 302-744-5000.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016

“Land and Sea Christmas”: Buena Vista Holiday Open House. One-day-only event features tours of one of Delaware’s most historic homes decorated for the holidays plus craft activities for children. Buena Vista Conference Center, 661 S. Dupont Highway (Route 13), New Castle. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 302-323-4430.

Buena Vista

Saturday, Dec. 10, 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. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016

“The Tragic and Heroic Legacy of Jacob Jones.” Lecture by historic-site interpreter Kaitlyn Dykes. Part two of “Ship to Shore Saturdays,” a four-part series that chronicles local Lewes history. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. Program at 2 p.m. on the museum’s 2nd floor (entry via staircase; no elevator). Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Free admission but, due to space restrictions, reservations are required by calling 302-645-1148 no later than Dec. 9, 2016.

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016

“Handmade for the Holidays.” Seasonal program in which visitors can create an ornament through paper quilling. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Mansion house at the John Dickinson Plantation.

Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016

Christmas Eve. All museums of the State of Delaware (the John Dickinson Plantation, the Johnson Victrola Museum, the New Castle Court House Museum, The Old State House and the Zwaanendael Museum) will be closed. 302-744-5054.

Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016

Christmas Day. All museums of the State of Delaware (the John Dickinson Plantation, the Johnson Victrola Museum, the New Castle Court House Museum, The Old State House and the Zwaanendael Museum) will be closed. 302-744-5054.

Monday, Dec. 26, 2016

Christmas Day observed. The following museums of the State of Delaware will be open: The Johnson Victrola Museum and The Old State House, open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The following museums will be closed: The John Dickinson Plantation, the New Castle Court House Museum and the Zwaanendael Museum. 302-744-5054.

Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017

New Year’s Day. All museums of the State of Delaware (the John Dickinson Plantation, the Johnson Victrola Museum, the New Castle Court House Museum, The Old State House and the Zwaanendael Museum) will be closed. 302-744-5054. ¨

Monday, Jan. 2, 2017

New Year’s Day observed. The following museums of the State of Delaware will be open: The Johnson Victrola Museum and The Old State House, open 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The following museums will be closed: The John Dickinson Plantation, the New Castle Court House Museum and the Zwaanendael Museum. 302-744-5054. ¨

Exhibits and displays

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. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Zwaanendael Museum

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. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 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.

Section of the exhibit “Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey from Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad,” on display at the New Castle Court House Museum.

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. Nov. 1–March 31: Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.April 1–Oct. 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 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. Oct. 1–March 31: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.April 1–Sept. 30: Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 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.