Welcome to the DHS Insider, where you’ll get an inside look at some of the innovative and ambitious goings-on at the Delaware Historical Society (DHS) and meet some of the behind-the-scenes folks who make it all happen. | |
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | |
As June winds down and we near the end of our fiscal year, it’s a good time to look back at all we’ve accomplished together and thank you for your generosity and support throughout the year.
It has been an exceptionally busy and productive year for DHS, as we continue to expand our programming to include more community-based activities and history-focused scholarly presentations.
We hosted a hugely successful exhibit “Landscapes of the Delaware Harriet Tubman Underground Railway Byway” by photographer, E. Lynn Dilliplane, facilitated book talks with noted authors that prompted lively and enlightening conversations, and fascinated sold-out audiences with a walking tour of historic locations that were central to Black residents in Old New Castle between 1800 and 1940, based on genealogical research by PhD candidate and Read House intern Melissa Benbow.
These events, and many more, were possible thanks to the generosity of our donors.
PLEASE GIVE BY JUNE 30 AND HELP US MEET OUR YEAR-END GOAL.
When we study the past, we enrich the present and shape the future.
Thank you for joining us in this important work!
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THE READ HOUSE COMMUNITY GARDENS | | |
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You might not notice if you’re strolling down The Strand in Old New Castle, but if you turn down the narrow alley that once connected the waterfront to the bustling market on Second Street, you’ll find a thriving community garden in the alley lot behind the Read House.
During World War II, the Read House, like many private residences, started a Victory Garden. In the same spirit of unity and perseverance, the new community garden project kicked off in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to offer New Castle residents and DHS members the opportunity to connect with the land and get their hands dirty.
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The garden features raised garden plots and a native plant garden and pollinator garden managed by Community Garden Liaison Heidi Benson.
“It’s contributing to our ecosystem,” Benson said. “It’s a way of giving back; the plot was unused and forlorn, and it’s a nice way to steward the land.”
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It’s also a way for community members to engage with Read House and with each other. Benson maintains an email newsletter for community gardeners with tips and resources, and she encourages them to work together and get to know their neighbors.
“The gardens are a gateway to increased engagement,” she said. “People don’t always see what’s going on inside the house, but the gardens make the house feel alive – that stewardship of the land is how Read House gives back to the community.”
Interested in having your own plot next season?
Email Heidi Benson to be added to the waitlist.
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THE MITCHELL CENTER MAY PROGRAM REWIND:
An Inside look at The Trail to Desegregation Bus Tour
- By Kobe Baker, Outreach Coordinator for the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage at the Delaware Historical Society
On May 17th, 1954, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the Civil Rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas that state-sanctioned segregation was unconstitutional. This groundbreaking decision paved the way for integration of schools across the country, and May 17th, 2024, marked its 70th anniversary.
The Mitchell Center for African American Heritage at the Delaware Historical Society partnered with board member Karen M. Ingram to develop a commemorative half day bus tour to celebrate key figures and places related to Brown v. Board in Delaware. This project served as one of Ingram's Master of Arts Degree requirements at the University of Delaware, but it was much more than that.
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For Karen, DHS, and the project partners and supporters, it was about uplifting community togetherness, encouraging lifelong learning, and honoring the legacy of those who stood against the status quo of segregation and racism to create a brighter future for others.
The excursion began at Howard High School which, before desegregation, was one of the only schools where Black Delawareans could get a secondary education, and the Redding House Museum and Community Center, the family home of Delaware’s first Black Lawyer, Louis L. Redding. Local historian Sylvester Woolford escorted the group through Howard High School and Gilbert Williams, President of the Redding House Foundation, Inc. board, led the tour through the Redding House Museum.
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The next stop was the Claymont Community Center, formerly Claymont High School. Carol and Joan Anderson—two of the first group of African American students to attend newly integrated Claymont High School in 1952—shared their firsthand experiences at Claymont and described what integration was like for them and the surrounding community.
The tour concluded at Hockessin Colored School #107C, where historian Dr. Abdullah Muhammad offered a presentation on the perspective of Shirley Bulah, a Delaware plaintiff in the Redding-led cases that became part of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case.
When Mitchell Center staff first met with Karen Ingram and her master’s degree advisor, Dr. Julie McGee, this past winter, this bus tour was just an ambitious idea. But with the help of partners and supporters, that ambitious idea was able to blossom into reality.
Although 70 years have passed since 1954 and some progress has been made in creating a more equitable America, there is still work to be done. Without reflecting on our history, we will not have the tools and knowledge to build a more just and prosperous future.
|  | * “The Trail to Desegregation: A Journey to Freedom and Equality” bus tour was made possible through major support from Delaware Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Delaware Heritage Commission, the City of Wilmington, Garland Thompson (State Farm), The Redding House Foundation, Inc., the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage at Delaware Historical Society, and many other community members. We are grateful to project partners Redding House Museum and Community Center, Howard High School, Claymont Community Center, and Hockessin Colored School #107C for collaborating on this event. | |
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For 50 years, National History Day® (NHD) has been inspiring students and teachers to teach and learn about the past, draw connections with the present, and shape the future. DHS, the Delaware affiliate for NHD since 2000, sent 42 students to this year's national contest in June in College Park, Md. | This year’s theme was “Turning Points in History,” and several Delaware students and groups were recognized at the national level for their projects. | |
Emily Matthews, a student from Towle Institute, was invited to display her individual exhibit War Sweet War: The Crisis-Driven Emergence of the American Sweet Tooth at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Jingxing Liu, from St. Andrew’s School, was a finalist in the Senior Paper category with The Eichmann Trial: A Turning Point in the Public Memory of the Holocaust, and David Ciupei, Kara Bhate, and Samantha Deschere from Newark Charter High School were finalists for Senior Group Documentary and received the Outstanding Entry Award, Senior Division, with When the Bubble Popped: How England Was Altered by the Collapse of South Sea Company.
Lailah Ayyubi, Lily Condit, and Princess McKend from Cab Calloway School of the Arts were recognized with the Outstanding Entry Award, Junior Division for their Junior Group Documentary, The Harlem Renaissance: A Turning Point in Black Culture.
Their teacher, Andrew Bedell, was a finalist for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award.
In addition to organizing the state contest, DHS supports Delaware teachers and students throughout the year with teacher and student workshops, classroom visits, and an NHD curriculum to help teachers implement project-based learning in the classroom.
To learn more about National History Day in Delaware and how you or your students can get involved next year, visit dehistory.org/learn/national-history-day.
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RECENT GRANTS
In addition to generous support from members and Annual Fund donors, DHS also receives significant financial support from grants and gifts offered through local, state, and federal channels, and from various foundations and corporate partners.
Over the past fiscal year, DHS received a total of $1.2 million from a variety of these sources including $110,000 through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), $400,000 from Crystal Trust for renovations for the Research Library and the Read House & Gardens, and $75,000 from the Welfare Foundation for work on the Research Library façade. Additional funding for the Read House was also provided by the State ($200,000). A special project to provide opportunities for communities throughout the state to record and digitize their unique stories was awarded through Senator Coons’ office ($400,000).
Other generous support came through the Crestlea Foundation ($15,000) for general operating costs, and from Delaware Humanities who supported several projects totaling $25,000. The Lilly Endowment provided a $100,000 planning grant for the DHS Partnership with Mother African Unity Church in a joint effort to enhance the August Quarterly celebration. Funding was also provided by M&T Bank, the Delaware Preservation Fund, DE250, the Delaware Heritage Commission and the Donald and Martha DeWees Foundation.
We are deeply grateful to all who support DHS. Each gift allows DHS to achieve greater impact and relevance as we expand access to the diverse resources we offer the First State.
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SOCIAL MEDIA MOMENT
We are thrilled that this piece of history, a framed sampler with a wool ground dating to 1802, has been conserved thanks to the Delaware Valley Historic Sampler Guild Conservation Fund.
The sampler was in very poor condition, with damaged and missing wool and a walnut frame that was structurally loose and missing pieces. Additional wool backing was added, a preservation grade mount was installed to support the piece, and the frame was tightened and restored.
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The sampler was stitched by eleven-year-old Ann Butler (Danby), who was born in England and later married John Danby, a Wilmington cooper who made barrels for the DuPont Company. | |
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DHS owns a vast collection of WWI military service records, organized alphabetically by last name, originally created by the Wilmington Institute Free Library in 1919. Most are Wilmingtonians, although some are from other areas in Delaware. Many ethnicities are represented: Polish, Irish, English, Swedish, Greek, Italian, Russian, Austrian, African American, even Hungarian. Some records include in-depth personal accounts of training and overseas service, and many have rare photographs of the servicemen. We’re highlighting two of these accounts, and we encourage you to visit our Research Library to explore the collection first-hand or email research@dehistory.org for more information.
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Recently, the granddaughter of John Fontello, a World War I solider from Wilmington, contacted DHS seeking a photograph of her grandfather. We found one along with his service record. Fontello was of Italian descent and lived at 223 Poplar Street. The service record tells us where he was stationed in the States, that he suffered a fractured bone (foot) in training, was adept at visual signaling, and was an excellent horseman and rifle marksman.
His granddaughter filled in some additional details: Fontello “was in the Cavalry. A horse broke his foot by stepping on him. He eventually made his way to Europe, where he suffered a mustard gas attack and was sent home. I don't know the time frame, he suffered from its effects for the rest of his life. He didn't let that stop him, though. He fathered 14 children and was a member of the reserve police in Wilmington and was also a very vocal voter.“
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Our second highlight is John Thomas Frasier Lewis, of 304 E. 10th Street, Wilmington, Delaware, pictured casually on his ship in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, as well as in official uniform. Our longtime friends may recall JTF Lewis from the front page of the Fall 2015 DHS Newsletter. The ship picture of Lewis indicates a breezy, engaging personality, and the sailors behind him are enjoying a lighthearted moment as well. His handwritten account provides a clear and confident articulation of the Black experience of military service in The Great War.
This collection illustrates the value of historical societies like DHS. Without historical societies, public archives, and libraries, these kinds of records would be lost forever.
Ed Richi is our Curator of Printed Materials. He recently marked his 31st anniversary at DHS.
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Interested in becoming a member of DHS?
Members enjoy free admission, discounts and perks at local businesses, and discounted fees for museum merchandise stores and programs. Click here to learn more about our membership benefits.
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STRAIGHT FROM OUR COLLECTIONS | |
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Surf fishing sure looks a little different today than it did in the early 20th century! If driving on the sand seems tricky in modern vehicles, maybe you'd like to try a horse-drawn carriage? We hope these fishermen and their woman driver had the appropriate surf fishing vehicle permits!
Fishing, ca. 1900, from the Purnell Collection, Delaware Historical Society Photograph Collection, Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, Delaware.
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