The Ladybug Music Festival
Willingtown Square is a property of the Delaware Historical Society. Please note, this event is not a Delaware Historical Society event. For questions about the Ladybug Festival, please refer to theladybugfestival.com for contact information.
In partnership with the Culture Restoration Project, Inc., celebrate Malcolm X’s life and legacy with family-friendly music, student performances, drumming, vendors, free food, and more!
Location: Delaware History Museum and Mitchell Center for African American Heritage
Date: Friday, May 19, 2023
Time: 5–8pm
FREE EVENT!
In partnership with the Culture Restoration Project, Inc., celebrate Malcolm X’s life and legacy with family-friendly music, student performances, drumming, vendors, free food, and more! The Journey to Freedom and Discover Delaware exhibitions will be open until 6 pm on May 19th!
Learn more about Culture Restoration Project, Inc. https://www.crpde.org/
Join I AM ME for an educational seminar about the LGBTQ+ experience!
In observance of the life and times of James Baldwin, panelists of various identities/orientations will compare the 1930s to the lifestyles of contemporary LGBTQ+ communities. Attendees will also learn the importance of allyship with keynote speaker Senator Kyra Heffner.
Location: Delaware History Museum and Mitchell Center for African American Heritage
Date: Saturday, June 3, 2023
Time: 2–6pm
Event Schedule:
To learn more and RSVP, visit https://www.iammecorp.org/events-1/me-seminar-1
Celebrate A Day in Old New Castle!
The New Castle community is proud to host A Day in Old New Castle, an annual celebration of New Castle heritage and history. A Day in Old New Castle is the country’s oldest open house and garden tour event, with many private residences and gardens open to the public for this special occasion. The Read House is excited to take part this year with free house admission* and all day tours, where we’ll be reflecting on the historical identity of New Castle and the Read Houses’ unique narrative within it.
The Delaware Historic Society is also excited for Family & Community Day, happening May 20th at the Read House & Gardens. In partnership with our friends at the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center, the Read House will be hosting family story time in the gardens, alongside the town’s Day in Old New Castle events. Family & Community Day will be free to all who choose to participate, and we welcome families to join in the local festivities around town during their time in New Castle.
For more information, please visit https://www.historicnewcastle.com/
*included with admission to A Day in Old New Castle
Join us for an exciting jazz performance by William Penn High School’s talented jazz bands at the Delaware History Museum and the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage.
Join us for an exciting jazz performance by William Penn High School’s talented jazz bands at the Delaware History Museum and the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage, located at 504 N. Market St. Wilmington, DE 19801. The event will take place on April 8th from 12 PM to 2 PM ET.
Before the concert, take a stroll through our jazz exhibit showcasing Wilmington’s rich history and enjoy light refreshments. The program itinerary is as follows:
On-street parking is FREE after 6 PM and on weekends! For more parking information, click here: https://www.visitwilmingtonde.com/plan/maps-directions/parking-in-wilmington/
Please note that seats are limited, and advance registration is strongly encouraged. We suggest a donation of $5 to help us continue providing quality events!
Your generous contributions are greatly appreciated. Please consider making an optional donation to support our events. Thank you!
Join us at Route 9 Library and Innovation Center for a historic documentary film screening of Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II with creator and director Professor Gregory S. Cooke and hear the inspiring stories of an untold generation of African-American war heroes.
Invisible Warriors features real pioneers – the first Black women to work in industry and government administrative service. They are hardworking underdogs of high character who do battle and win. They fled lives as domestics and sharecroppers to empower themselves while working in war production and U.S. government offices. These patriotic pioneers share their wartime memories, recounting their battles against racism at home, Nazism abroad, and sexism everywhere. They represent 600,000 women like themselves who overcame the Great Depression, Jim Crow, sexual degradation, and workplace discrimination to break gender and racial barriers.
For more information, visit https://invisiblewarriorsfilm.com/
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, join Charito Calvachi-Mateyko for a Diversity in Latin America presentation from the Delaware Humanities’ Speakers Bureau Program. Explore and celebrate the diverse history, anthropology, geography, language, and knowledge of Latin America.
This is an in-person event, free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Participants will receive a free a copy of Navidad Latinoamericana/Latin American Christmas book/DC packet signed by Charito.
Participants will also join in a Circle of Peace. Circles of Peace are an ancient structure of dialogue among the indigenous people of Latin America. Listen and share about Latino identity, cherished memories of childhood and growing up as a Latinx/Hispanic within the American culture, and stories of being connected to the Latinx/Hispanic community. Cultural exchanges such as this broaden cultural competence and develop social intelligence. This program welcomes people from different walks of life who are interested in experiencing diversity.
Charito Calvachi-Mateyko is a member of the Delaware Humanities Speakers Bureau and Visiting Scholar Programs. After practicing law, she focused on Restorative Justice as a trainer and facilitator. Charito has served on the board of the United Way, AdVoz and YWCA in Lancaster, PA. For nearly two decades she has served on the Delaware Hispanic Commission –for the last decade as Co-Chair and Chair of the Community Social Justice proposing legislation and grassroots outreach. For the last six years, Charito has served on the board of ACLU-DE.
In partnership with the Blood Bank of Delmarva, the Delaware Historical Society will host a blood drive in Old Town Hall. Join us on September 30th to help fulfill the urgent need for donors. Your donation will directly benefit patients on the Delmarva Peninsula.
During WWI, Old Town Hall became a Red Cross Headquarters. Throughout the influenza pandemic of 1918, it served as a primary supply center for emergency and temporary hospitals throughout the state. Red Cross items from our collections will be on display in the Delaware History Museum.
Visit https://donate.bbd.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/8208 to schedule your appointment.
Donors will receive free admission to the museum!
Please bring your photo ID or donor ID and remember to eat and drink prior to your visit. Donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 lbs.
The Rocks and the Underground Railroad or What I Did in Pandemic Isolation – A Research Odyssey. 2022 marks the bicentennial of Harriet Tubman’s birth. Join us as we celebrate Harriet Tubman Day and discover Wilmington’s significance on the journey to freedom.
Please note: This is an in person event! Seating is limited. Registration is NOT required to view the program via live stream on Facebook.
Born enslaved in Maryland, Harriet Tubman successfully escaped bondage but returned repeatedly, risking her life, to lead her family and friends to freedom. Tubman was an associate and friend of Wilmington’s Thomas Garrett, Quaker abolitionist and “stationmaster” on the Underground Railroad in Delaware, but they weren’t the only Underground Railroad operatives in Wilmington.
The Delaware Historical Society invites you to a presentation featuring Debbie Martin, City of Wilmington Historic Preservation Planner and board member of the Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware.
Debbie Martin began her foray into Wilmington Black American history with her first assignment as the City of Wilmington’s Historic Preservation Planner – stepping in as the administrator for the City-sponsored feasibility studies that much later culminated in the establishment of the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage in 2016. Her next major assignment was to take over the administration of the fledgling Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware project, supported by the Baker administration and the then-newish program of the National Park Service– the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. By the time this project was completed in 2009, it had established the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway (Delaware segment), produced a historic research context, and supported a number of programs and exhibits throughout the state. The Underground Railroad Coalition of Delaware became an independent, non-profit organization in 2012, and she serves on the Board of Directors. Also, by that time, she was under the spell of under-told history and there was no turning back.
Among other duties at the City of Wilmington, Debbie is responsible for federal reviews involving historic properties and a wide-variety of public history projects ranging from themed cycling tours, National Register nominations, a web-based Underground Railroad tour, and new public markers and panels on the city landscape.
Admission to program is FREE but limited to 40 people.
The program will also be livestreamed on Facebook @dehistory.
February 3, 2022 – Join us on the first Thursday of every month as we discover the human side of history.
Learn about the many voices and fascinating life stories that shaped American history. Let’s talk about the paintings of Ed Loper, Miss Nagano, the Japanese Friendship Doll, Thomas Garrett’s silver tray and teapot, and other untold wonders from our collections.
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Speaking of Delaware… is a series of short videos presented by the Delaware Historical Society and produced by Short Order Production House. Videos will premiere the first Thursday of every month at 8:30 on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and our website. Check out dehistory.org/speaking-of-delaware for more information about this project and other resources. This series is funded in part by the Longwood Foundation, Delmarva Power, an Exelon Company, and by a grant from the Delaware Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
