Tag: DHS Collections

Breaking Barriers, Building Legacy Exhibition

Breaking Barriers, Building Legacy chronicles the journey to establishing the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary in October 2026, and highlights the lives and impact of Center namesakes Jane and Littleton Mitchell. It also commemorates the 125th birthday of Louis Redding, Delaware’s first Black lawyer, who argued in the state cases that became part of the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education that desegregated schools nationwide.

This temporary exhibition is on display in the Mitchell Center Theater through 2027 and is included with Delaware History Museum admission. The Museum, located at 504 N. Market Street in Wilmington, is open weekly Wednesday through Saturday, from 12-5 p.m.

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.

Objects, Ideals & Delaware’s Unfinished Revolution

Objects, Ideals & Delaware’s Unfinished Revolution, a new exhibition in partnership with Alexis I. duPont High School, commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibition pairs objects and archival materials from Delaware Historical Society (DHS) collections with a variety of themes in Delaware’s history, using them as a lens to determine whether Delaware has upheld the primary ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence.

Under the direction of visual arts teacher Mr. Greg Thompson, students from A.I. duPont High School interpreted objects from DHS collections and created original artwork representing key themes in the state’s history, including movement and migration, civil resistance, agriculture and maritime history, and more. The artists selected themes that resonated with their own perspectives as Delawareans and submitted their art along with artist statements explaining their projects and what they hope visitors take away from the exhibition.

The exhibition is on display in the 2nd floor gallery of the Delaware History Museum through the end of 2026 and is included with Museum admission. The Museum is open weekly Wednesday through Saturday from 12 – 5 p.m.

Uncover the Past: Transcribing Delaware History

Uncover the past as you help transcribe Delaware history at this community event with Route 9 Library!

This program series, with four dates throughout 2026, gets people involved in transcribing materials from the Delaware Historical Society’s collections. At each program, attendees will get hands-on with local history as they transcribe 2-3 handwritten documents, creating transcriptions that are more readable and accessible for inclusion in our online collection records.

These transcribathons will be hosted at the Route 9 Library in New Castle County from 1-3 p.m. on August 8th and October 31st. Our first two transcribathons sold out — be sure to save your spot today!

Free event. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/transcribing-de-history

Uncover the Past: Transcribing Delaware History

Uncover the past as you help transcribe Delaware history at this community event with Route 9 Library!

This program series, with four dates throughout 2026, gets people involved in transcribing materials from the Delaware Historical Society’s collections. At each program, attendees will get hands-on with local history as they transcribe 2-3 handwritten documents, creating transcriptions that are more readable and accessible for inclusion in our online collection records.

These transcribathons will be hosted at the Route 9 Library in New Castle County from 1-3 p.m. on August 8th and October 31st. Our first two transcribathons sold out — be sure to save your spot today!

Free event. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/transcribing-de-history

From the Vault: George Washington & George Read II

Step into history on April 16 with a close look at a rare document from the Delaware Historical Society’s collections: George Read II’s 1789 commission as the first U.S. Attorney for the district of Delaware, personally signed by George Washington. Washington appointed Read to the position, and this document is important to understanding Read’s legal career. The commission document was donated to Delaware Historical Society by Anne Cooch Doran and Judge Richard R. Cooch.

Tickets $10 / Free for Delaware Historical Society members. Register here.

From the Vault: George Washington & George Read II

Step into history on April 3 with a close look at a rare document from the Delaware Historical Society’s collections: George Read II’s 1789 commission as the first U.S. Attorney for the district of Delaware, personally signed by George Washington. Washington appointed Read to the position, and this document is important to understanding Read’s legal career. The commission document was donated to Delaware Historical Society by Anne Cooch Doran and Judge Richard R. Cooch.

Tickets $10 / Free for Delaware Historical Society members. Register here.

Delaware Historical Society Launching a New Video Series, Speaking of Delaware…

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.

 

Delaware Historical Society’s Digital Collections Go Live!

February 1, 2022 – One of our most frequently asked questions is how to view Delaware Historical Society (DHS) collections online. Now you can!

Today, our digital collections go live! Search our new digital asset management system (DAMS) from your favorite device wherever you are with access to the internet. Check out what we have digitized. More will be added each month, so continue to come back for updates!

After more than a year of hard work and some help from our friends in the JP Morgan Chase Force for Good program, we’re thrilled to invite you in to explore amazing images and documents from our digital collections, with more to come. We believe in making our collections accessible and open to anyone who wants to use them. This allows us to connect and share resources with you and visitors around the world.

Visit digital.dehistory.org and explore the rest of dehistory.org to see other resources we have available!