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Date Posted: Thursday, December 12th, 2013

Grant-application process to be administered by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ State Historic Preservation Office.


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Date Posted: Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

Program encourages students to study the U.S. Constitution.


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Date Posted: Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013

EXHIBITS CLOSED on Aug. 25, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013 respectively.

EXHIBITS CLOSED on Aug. 25, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013 respectively

During 2013 the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ Collections, Affiliates, Research and Exhibits (CARE) Team loaned nearly 60 works of art from the state’s collections to two of Delaware’s most prominent arts organizations—the Rehoboth Art League and the Schwartz Center for the Arts.

Working in partnership with the Rehoboth Art League, located at 12 Dodds Lane in Rehoboth Beach, the CARE Team helped to create the exhibit “Memories of Jack Lewis,” a career retrospective on the beloved artist whose work captured Delaware’s unique history, places and people. Lewis died on Aug. 19, 2012 at the age of 99. The exhibit was on display from July 19 to Aug. 25, 2013.

Hearns Mill by Jack Lewis 1954
Hearns Mill by Jack Lewis 1954

The state of Delaware owns more than 400 of Lewis’ works from every period in his career including a set of monumental murals which adorn the upper walls of both the Senate and the House of Representatives chambers in Legislative Hall, and numerous paintings which grace the walls of public buildings across the state including Buena Vista, the Carvel State Office Building and the Townsend Building. In addition to the loan of more than 30 of Lewis’ works for the Art League’s exhibit, the CARE team matted and framed each of the paintings and created the descriptive labels that accompany each work.

The partnership with the Rehoboth Art League is one of several in which the division has participated in recent years as part of its Affiliates Program which utilizes professionals from the division staff—including exhibit designers, curators, editors, museum managers, archaeologists and historians—who work with history- and heritage-based organizations throughout Delaware to develop joint programs and exhibits, including potential display of items from the state’s collections. The program has had great success in creating new opportunities for the division to serve the public in communities where it has not previously had a presence. Other organizations that are participating in the Affiliates Program include the Historic Odessa Foundation, Middletown Historical Society, Laurel Historical Society, Seaford Historical Society, Bethel Historical Society, the Rehoboth Beach Museum and the Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware.

The Flamboyant Tree by Dr. Juan LaComba
The Flamboyant Tree by Dr. Juan LaComba
Print by unknown Puerto Rican artist will be on display at the Schwartz Center for the Arts beginning Aug. 5, 2013
Print by unknown Puerto Rican artist will be on display at the Schwartz Center for the Arts beginning Aug. 5, 2013

At the Schwartz Center for the Arts, located at 226 S. State St. in Dover, the CARE Team created an exhibit of works by Hispanic artists from the Norma Varisco de García Collection which was donated to the state of Delaware in 2012. The exhibit featured 17 paintings by American, Puerto Rican, Argentinean and Mexican artists including five works by Juan Perez, a Guatemalan native who now lives in Georgetown, Del. The exhibit was on display from Aug. 5 to Dec. 31, 2013.

Cockfight by René V. Herrera
Cockfight by René V. Herrera


About the collections of the state of Delaware…

The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs conserves a significant collection of historic materials owned by the state of Delaware including museum objects, archaeological artifacts, works of art, library and archival materials and oral histories which are utilized in developing exhibits and educational programs that illuminate the state’s historical and cultural legacies for the benefit of present and future generations.

Although the state’s collections are featured prominently in division-sponsored exhibits, the sheer number of items makes it impossible for all of the materials to be formally displayed at one time. In order to maximize public access to the collections, the division loans items to museums across Delaware and the nation, and manages a program that places collections objects in government offices and public buildings across the state. Examples of this partnership include the display of murals at the Delaware Veterans Home and Delaware Public Archives; the placement of historical furnishings at Woodburn, the Governor’s House and at the Buena Vista Conference Center; and the display of various paintings and furnishings in Legislative Hall, at the Governor’s three offices and in courthouses across the state. The division hopes to make even more items from the collections available for public viewing in coming years.

 

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Date Posted: Thursday, July 18th, 2013

Beginning in July 2013, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs began the process of simplifying the design of its e-newsletter to make it more compatible with hand-held computing devices such as smart phones and tablets. During the first phase of the transition process which will begin with the August 2013 edition, newsletter articles […]


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Date Posted: Monday, August 19th, 2013

HCA Volunteer Open House Flyer

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Date Posted: Friday, November 22nd, 2013

Public interest continues for British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798.


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Date Posted: Wednesday, December 4th, 2013

By: Katie Goerger, Historical Interpreter Indian River Life-Saving Station Delaware Seashore State Park The Indian River Life-Saving Station is one of Delmarva’s relatively unknown gems. Situated along the coastline of southern Delaware between the Rehoboth Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, many recognize it as the hub for programs and events at Delaware Seashore State Park. […]

By: Katie Goerger, Historical Interpreter
Indian River Life-Saving Station
Delaware Seashore State Park

The Indian River Life-Saving Station is one of Delmarva’s relatively unknown gems. Situated along the coastline of southern Delaware between the Rehoboth Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, many recognize it as the hub for programs and events at Delaware Seashore State Park. This oddly-colored building, however, preserves a unique history that has slowly been forgotten over the years.

Irlss Station

 

In the mid to late 19th century, devastating shipwrecks along American coastlines were an all too common occurrence. Shoals hidden just beneath the water’s surface caused vessels to run aground, losing cargo to the waves and drowning mariners within sight of dry land. By 1871, in response to public outcry, the government finally intervened.

Historic Pic- Origin Unkown

Over the next few years, the first United States Life-Saving stations were built and manned by full-time crews known as “surfmen”. The men who joined the service left their comfortable lives at home to join a life where they would train by day and patrol the beaches by night, performing daring rescues in overwhelming conditions. The service was a complete success, lasting for 44 years until President Woodrow Wilson merged it with the Revenue Cutter Service to form the Coast Guard in 1915.

Keeper's Bedroom

Built in in 1876, the Indian River Life-Saving Station protected mariners along the coastlines from as far south as Bethany Beach and as far north as Cape Henlopen. In total, the crew of this station responded to over 60 wrecks and saved the lives of 419 people.

Courtesy: Dick Albertson
Courtesy: Dick Albertson

Today, the Indian River Life-Saving Station is located along Route 1 just north of the Indian River Bridge and operates as the main public center for Delaware Seashore State Park. The museum itself is setup to resemble its 1905 appearance and is open to both public and private tours year-round.

 

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Date Posted: Friday, May 10th, 2013

By: Alice Guerrant On February 21, 2013, our National Park Service reviewer approved Delaware’s draft historic preservation plan. In March, one of HCA’s talented graphic designers took that draft and turned it into a beautiful publication with an outstanding layout illustrated with photographs and charts. And on April 16, the State Review Board for Historic […]


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Date Posted: Friday, October 25th, 2013

Craig Lukezic to discuss Fort Casimir, established by the Dutch in 1651 in what is now New Castle, Del.


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Date Posted: Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

Thorough understanding of green-building principles and practices a requirement for acceptance.


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Date Posted: Friday, August 23rd, 2013

EXHIBIT CLOSED on June 14, 2014.

ForgingFaith_banner1

EXHIBIT CLOSED on June 14, 2014

From Sept. 27, 2013 to June 14, 2014, the exhibit “Forging Faith, Building Freedom: African American Faith Experiences in Delaware, 1800-1980” was on display at the Delaware History Museum in Wilmington. The exhibit honored the faith experiences of Delaware’s Black community and its contributions to the development of religion in the United States including a commemoration of the bicentennial of the African Union Methodist tradition and the August Quarterly, the nation’s oldest African-American religious festival.

“Forging Faith, Building Freedom: African American Faith Experiences in Delaware, 1800-1980” was created through a partnership between the curatorial staff of the Delaware Historical Society, which researched and wrote the exhibit narrative and organized loans of exhibited objects; and the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ Collections, Affiliates, Research and Exhibits (CARE) Team which designed, fabricated and installed the exhibit.

Doug Fagley with a display platform
Doug Fagley, a cabinet maker working with the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs on the “Forging Faith” exhibit, examines a display platform that he built for use in displaying exhibit items.

The partnership with the Delaware Historical Society is one of several in which the division has participated in recent years. These partnerships have had great success in creating new opportunities for the agency to serve the public in communities where it has not previously had a presence. Partnerships help fulfill the division’s mission by shining a spotlight on Delaware history, enhancing leisure and educational opportunities for the state’s residents, stimulating tourist visitation leading to economic growth and job creation and expanding public awareness of the importance of preserving and protecting Delaware’s historical and cultural legacy.

Recent division partnerships have resulted in exhibits and displays at the Bethel, Laurel and Seaford historical societies; the Lewes and New Castle historical societies, the Rehoboth Art League and Dover’s Schwartz Center for the Arts, the Rehoboth Beach Museum and the Smyrna Rest Stop and Delaware Welcome Center Travel Plaza.

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Date Posted: Monday, October 28th, 2013

Working at the state’s museums, these employees help bring Delaware history to life.


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Date Posted: Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

EXHIBITS CLOSED on Sept. 22, 2013.

EXHIBITS CLOSED on Sept. 22, 2013

Dealing in Symbols: Profundity and the Human Figure,” an exhibit of works by noted Wilmington sculptor Charles Parks; and “USS Delaware: An American Battleship,” an exhibit on the USS Delaware (1909-1924) told through objects, photographs and ceremonial silver, closed on Sept. 22, 2013. Planned and created by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the exhibits were on display at the First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries, Delaware Public Archives building, 121 Duke of York St. in Dover, Del.

Entrance to the exhibit, “Dealing in Symbols: Profundity and the Human Figure.”
Entrance to the exhibit, “Dealing in Symbols: Profundity and the Human Figure.”

 

USS Delaware
USS Delaware

 

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Etching of projectile point
Date Posted: Tuesday, October 29th, 2013

Participate in First State Heritage Park’s 18th Century Market Fair Flickr Photo Contest in Eight Easy Steps:     STEP 1 Experience history and capture some memories at the First State Heritage Park 18th Century Market Fair on November 2, 2013!   STEP 2 Join the Photo Contest group on Flickr.  * Make sure you […]


Participate in First State Heritage Park’s

18th Century Market Fair Flickr Photo Contest

in Eight Easy Steps:

 

First State Heritage Park Market Fair Photo Contest Flyer

 

STEP 1

Experience history and capture some memories at the First State Heritage Park 18th Century Market Fair on November 2, 2013!

Fshp Market Fair Wrapper 2013_outside

 

STEP 2

Join the Photo Contest group on Flickr.

State of Delaware, Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs

 * Make sure you scroll down and “Agree” to the contest rules to advance to the group page:

State of Delaware, Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs

 

STEP 3

Upload your memories.

State of Delaware, Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs

 

STEP 4

Tag your photos with FSHPMarketFair – photos are not eligible for the contest unless they are tagged properly!

State of Delaware, Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs

 

STEP 5

In the photo description space, please include a title for the image and any description you may provide, including a few words to complete any of the prompts below.

“Visiting the FSHP 18th Century Market Fair, “I learned…,” “I enjoyed…,” or “I met…”

 

State of Delaware, Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs

 

STEP 6

Add to the group.

Fshp_mf_pcht_add2groups

 

STEP 7

Upload the photos to your Photostream.

Fshp_mf_pcht_upload

* The upload confirmation window should look like this, indicating that your photos are (1) public, (2) tagged, and (3) grouped:

Fshp_mf_pcht_photostream

 

STEP 8

Watch, share, and vote between now and November 30th for your chance to win a 2014 Delaware State Parks Pass!

State of Delaware, Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs

Another blog post will follow with instructions and tips for voting, but the more people that you can get to favorite your photo the better your chances at winning!


Happy Market Fairing! Share your experiences here!

 

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Date Posted: Thursday, July 18th, 2013

On Monday, Aug. 26, 2013 at 6:30 p.m., the Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware will present “Free Black Communities of the 19th Century,” a dual lecture conducted by cultural-heritage consultant Janet L. Sheridan who will discuss Marshalltown which was established circa 1830 in Salem County, N.J., and Dr. Rebecca Sheppard, associate director of the Center […]


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Date Posted: Monday, November 25th, 2013

A spotlight on the historic Smyrna home of Delaware patriot Thomas Collins.


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