Tag: Wilmington

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

Author Talk: Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz

Huxley & Hiro Booksellers and the Delaware Historical Society welcome Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz for an author talk on her new book The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker: A True Tale of Love, Murder, Treason, and Ordinary Folks Who Saved America.

The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker is the first narrative nonfiction account of the Christiana Resistance, and the first to unite the three of the radical abolitionist communities that made it possible: the wealthy free Black elite of Philadelphia, the rural white Quakers of Pennsylvania, and the fugitives from slavery who lived, worked, and ultimately fought in both worlds. It tells the story of what happened outside William Parker’s house in the dawn hours of September 11, 1851, but it also tells a much larger story involving decades of tenacious, ever-evolving anti-slavery and civil rights efforts by communities spread out across Philadelphia and rural southeastern Pennsylvania.

Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz is also featured at the History Book Festival in Lewes on September 26.

Free event. Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cristin-okeefe-aptowicz-author-talk-tickets-1992284131468

August Quarterly Liberation Fest

Join the Mother African Union Church and the Delaware Historical Society for a Friday night block party to celebrate the arts during this year’s August Quarterly!

Incorporating the theme of the Harlem Renaissance, the evening will feature movement and dance by Pieces of a Dream Dance Group and music by Best Kept Soul Band, along with dialogue, food trucks, and other vendors. Guests are asked to wear all-white attire. 

This free community event is co-curated with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

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.

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.

Independence in Action!

A day full of adventure, discovery, and revolutionary spirit! No matter your age, experience history during this family-friendly celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of Declaration of Independence.  

Start the afternoon at Old Town Hall with Delaware Shakespeare performing “Embers of Freedom: Independence through the Eyes of Many,” an expansive, performative reading of the Declaration of Independence that weaves in writings from voices that were underrepresented in the original creation of the Declaration.

Following the performance, join us for family-friendly, hands-on activities throughout our Wilmington campus.

  • Make paper and ink from scratch — Try crafting the same materials the Founders used to write and share their boldest ideas.
  • Write like a Revolutionary — Pick up a quill and see if you have what it takes to draft history.
  • Escape Old Town Hall and sign the Declaration — Can you break free and add your name to the most famous document in American history?
  • Revolutionary Espionage — Test your wits in a mission inspired by the secret world of colonial spies.
  • Uncover Revolutionary Artifacts — Go behind the scenes with the Delaware Historical Society to explore revolutionary-era documents from our collections.
  • Learn to protect your family’s treasures — Bring your own family artifacts to the Delaware Historical Society to learn preservation tips and receive assistance scanning them so they can be safely preserved in digital form.

The event is free. Registration is required for the Delaware Shakespeare performance in Old Town Hall at 12 p.m. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/july3

From the Vault: Revolutionary Singalong

Warm up your voice and tap your toes! Join us as we explore an 18th century songbook from the Delaware Historical Society’s archives. Experience the music of the American Revolution as we discover lively marches and catchy songs that lifted spirits and kept people moving during the Revolutionary Era. Singing and dancing are optional but always encouraged.

$10 a person, Free for members. Registration required. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/revolutionary-singalong