Tag: Delaware Historical Society Events

Mapping the Delaware Diaspora: Life & Legacy of Samuel E. Cornish

Dr. Anne Garner, from New York Historical, will discuss Cornish’s life and work and the materials historians and researchers can use to learn about historical figures.

Cornish was born free in Sussex County, Delaware in 1795. He organized the first Black Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York, and he co-founded Freedom’s Journal, the first Black newspaper in the United States, which spurred the foundation of the Black press.

Mapping the Delaware Diaspora is an online series that puts the Delaware Historical Society’s collections into conversation with other repositories around the nation to showcase the Delaware stories available to researchers and learners. These hour-long Zoom events with cultural heritage professionals and researchers will expose audiences to research methods, new stories of Delawareans, and the wealth of resources available to them in museums, libraries, and archives.

Tickets $5. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/mapping-samuel-cornish
Zoom link will be provided after registration.

Delaware Community Preservation Lab

Every Delawarean has a history worth preserving. Yet personal, community, and organizational collections filled with photographs, letters, quilts, scrapbooks, posters, and other keepsakes are often at risk from humidity, common pests, poor storage, and the passage of time.

The DCPL empowers people with simple, practical techniques to care for these items and, if they choose, to preserve them in digital form. Using everyday technology like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and scanners, participants will learn how to document and store physical objects in digital spaces.

We know digital processes can feel overwhelming, so the Lab offers step-by-step support and resources to make preservation easy, approachable, and accessible, ensuring these objects and stories can be shared for generations to come.

Free event, registration required. Register here.

Questions? Check out the FAQ page.

Historic Perspectives Photo Walk

Explore Delaware history through a new lens during the Historic Perspectives Photo Walk in downtown Wilmington.

Presented by the Delaware Historical Society in partnership with 1865 studios, this guided walking tour invites participants to discover the stories, architecture, and details that connect Wilmington’s past to the city we see today. Along the way, participants will use their smartphones to photograph historic locations, compare past and present views, and learn simple techniques for composition, perspective, light, and visual storytelling.

No photography experience or special equipment is needed. Just bring a charged smartphone, comfortable walking shoes, and a willingness to slow down and see Wilmington differently.

The November tour will focus on the buildings and views of Market Street from 7th to 10th Streets.

Tickets $25. Purchase here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/historic-photo-walk

Historic Perspectives Photo Walk

Explore Delaware history through a new lens during the Historic Perspectives Photo Walk in downtown Wilmington.

Presented by the Delaware Historical Society in partnership with 1865 studios, this guided walking tour invites participants to discover the stories, architecture, and details that connect Wilmington’s past to the city we see today. Along the way, participants will use their smartphones to photograph historic locations, compare past and present views, and learn simple techniques for composition, perspective, light, and visual storytelling.

No photography experience or special equipment is needed. Just bring a charged smartphone, comfortable walking shoes, and a willingness to slow down and see Wilmington differently.

Tickets $25. Purchase here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/historic-photo-walk

Haunted Delaware

Get into the spooky Halloween spirit with Delaware Historical Society, as we join storyteller and author Josh Hitchens for a chilling evening of scary tales from the darker side of Delaware’s history.

Hitchens is a historian, storyteller, and author of the books Haunted History of Delaware and Eerie Delaware: Chilling Tales from the First State. Born and raised in Sussex County, Delaware, he has been a storyteller for the Ghost Tour of Philadelphia since 2007.

The evening will feature some of Hitchens’ favorite scary tales from his books along with a spirited Q&A with the audience followed by a book signing (bring your own books).

Tickets $10. Purchase here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/Haunted-Delaware

Painting the Parterre: Art Among the Blooms

Take inspiration from the Read House parterre garden’s summer blooms to create botanic watercolor illustrations. Learn about the property’s landscape design through a guided painting lesson in the gardens, accompanied by specialty botanical cocktails created by The Mercury Cafe & Tea House!

This event is for guests 21 and older.
Tickets $25. Purchase here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/painting-the-parterre

Mitchell Center Cultural Film Series: Seeking Mavis Beacon

The Mitchell Center Cultural Film Series returns!
Join us October 3 at 1 p.m. for the first screening, Seeking Mavis Beacon. The 2024 documentary covers the search for the real-life woman who served as the face of Mavis Beacon, the fictional instructor in the widely used typing software Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.
Included with Museum admission.

*CANCELLED* Delaware Community Preservation Lab

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER.

Every Delawarean has a history worth preserving. Yet personal, community, and organizational collections filled with photographs, letters, quilts, scrapbooks, posters, and other keepsakes are often at risk from humidity, common pests, poor storage, and the passage of time.

The Delaware Community Preservation Lab (DCPL) helps safeguard these materials by offering on-site scanning, photography, and video recording services. Visitors can bring in a wide range of items, including photographs, 35mm film and slides, yearbooks, scrapbooks, leaflets and other historic papers and documents to be carefully scanned and converted into high-quality digital files. In addition to flat materials, DCPL staff can photograph three-dimensional objects and record short video interviews, giving participants the opportunity to share the stories behind their items and preserve those memories alongside the images.

We’ve been bringing our technology and resources to sites around the First State, and this September, we’ll be in Sussex County at the Lewes Senior Activity Center!

Participants who schedule an appointment at one of our digitization booths will receive a USB drive with their newly digitized files, along with easy-to-follow preservation guides created by Delaware Historical Society collections care staff to help them continue their preservation efforts at home or in their churches and community organizations.

Visitors can also stop by our Build-Your-Own Preservation Kit Station to customize a kit with archival-quality materials like acid-free tissue paper, folders, Mylar sleeves, and more, ensuring their items are well-protected for the long term.

Free event, registration required. Register here.

Questions? Check out the FAQ page.