Delaware Historical Society

Delaware Historical Society We preserve, promote, and share Delaware’s history to educate, inspire, and empower communities.
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The Delaware Historical Society owns and operates the Delaware History Museum; a nationally recognized Research Library; Old Town Hall; Willingtown Square, four 18th-century houses surrounding a picturesque urban courtyard located in Wilmington; as well as the Read House & Gardens located in historic New Castle, recognized as an “American Treasure” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation a

nd the National Park Service; and the Delaware History Museum and Mitchell Center for African American Heritage, which opened October 1, 2016. For more information, call (302) 655-7161 or visit www.dehistory.org.

Mark your calendars for Restore & Remember: Jason Beach, next Friday, June 19! Join the Jason Beach Juneteenth Celebrati...
06/08/2026

Mark your calendars for Restore & Remember: Jason Beach, next Friday, June 19!

Join the Jason Beach Juneteenth Celebration with Delaware Historical Society and Delaware State Parks and help keep your family and community history alive with a workshop to help catalogue and preserve personal keepsakes and memorabilia.

Bring items of your own to document your personal history or that of Jason Beach — things like photographs, scrapbooks, letters, papers referencing Jason Beach, swimsuits or other clothing like family reunion shirts, games and accessories (i.e. horseshoes, etc.), cookware items, and more.

Experts from cultural heritage organizations, universities, and local history networks will be in the pavilion to help document and catalog these items and their historical meaning to pass on to future generations.

This event is free with park entrance fee ($5 in state vehicles, $10 out of state vehicles).
Pre-registration is requested to ensure appropriate staffing.
Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/restore-remember-jason-beach

Delaware Historical Society hosted our friends from Mother African Union Church this week for a meaningful conversation ...
06/05/2026

Delaware Historical Society hosted our friends from Mother African Union Church this week for a meaningful conversation with CBS Philadelphia about the church's restoration process following a devastating fire on May 17. We look forward to seeing this powerful segment when it airs later this month and continuing to help preserve and amplify this history.

It’s First Friday! On the First Friday of each month, we share a favorite from the Read House & Gardens. This month’s fa...
06/05/2026

It’s First Friday! On the First Friday of each month, we share a favorite from the Read House & Gardens. This month’s favorite thing is presented by Noel Ank, a Read House ambassador and graduate student at the University of Delaware:

They can be easy to overlook, but if you peer into some of the bookcases throughout the Read House, you can spy some of the books that Philip and Lydia Laird owned and read.

These books, known as the Laird book collection, consist of over one hundred volumes of various genres, including gardening, history, novels, romances, short stories, travel, poetry, essays, and humor. The publication dates of these books range from 1684 to 1963, making the ages of the volumes range between 342 to 63 years old.

As Colonial Revivalists, Philip and Lydia were interested in preserving history not only through places and objects but with texts, as well. Many of the books the Lairds collected were in fact history books, demonstrating their specific interests in the American past. They also collected works of fiction, poetry, travel, and gardening, which are also useful in historic analysis of literature. As Philip and Lydia collected books according to their taste, they also left a record of the art that made an impact on them and possibly helped to shape their perspectives.

In many ways, the Laird book collection provides us with another window to peer into lives of the past. They can speak to and with the objects and the home that Philip and Lydia curated to give us a more complete picture of this family.

The Read House is celebrating 50 years as a museum, but for most of its existence, it was a family home full of activity...
06/03/2026

The Read House is celebrating 50 years as a museum, but for most of its existence, it was a family home full of activity and life. It's always a joy to welcome people into the house, and we especially love sharing the history, architecture, and great views with inquisitive young guests!

We welcomed more than 500 children to the house on school trips in May, and this lucky group of first-graders, pictured with Lead Ambassador Pam Mansfield, even got to watch the Kalmar Nyckel sailing by during their visit.

For more information about scheduling field trips or adult group tours, visit readhouseandgardens.org

Join the Delaware Historical Society this June as we gear up for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independenc...
06/01/2026

Join the Delaware Historical Society this June as we gear up for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence! It's a busy month with programming featuring music, cocktails, conversation, family history, and virtual events.

🔹Saturday, June 6 -- 𝙄𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚
A panel discussion with The Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce exploring the relationship between the United States and the Caribbean, what Caribbean heritage means to our panelists, and how Caribbean history and culture has influenced Delaware’s Black history.
https://dehistory.org/calendar/in-conversation-caribbean-heritage/

🔹Wednesday, June 17 -- 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙋𝘼 (virtual)
Join DHS and Delaware Public Archives to learn more about the conditions that led to Delaware declaring its independence from Pennsylvania 250 years ago.
https://dehistory.org/calendar/not-today-pa/

🔹Friday, June 19 -- 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 & 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧: 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝
Bring your memories and memorabilia for a family history workshop highlighting experiences and memories from Jason Beach, as part of the Jason Beach Juneteenth Celebration at Trap Pond State Park.
https://dehistory.org/calendar/restore-remember-jason-beach/

🔹Tuesday, June 23 -- 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩: 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜
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.
https://dehistory.org/calendar/from-the-vault-revolutionary-singalong/

🔹Friday, July 26 -- 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙨
“Huzza!” to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence! Join DHS and Derrick Kelley, owner of Bin 66 Wine & Spirits in Rehoboth, to discover (and taste!) what 18th century Patriots drank while plotting to overthrow Great Britain. 21+ event.
https://dehistory.org/calendar/revolutionary-spirits/

If you're planning to visit the Read House & Gardens this week, please note our modified hours: Thursday, May 28 -- We w...
05/27/2026

If you're planning to visit the Read House & Gardens this week, please note our modified hours:

Thursday, May 28 -- We will open to the public for tours at 2 p.m.
Friday, May 29 -- Regular hours, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 30 -- The last tour will begin at 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 31 -- Regular hours, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Delaware History Museum & Mitchell Center for African American Heritage will be CLOSED on Saturday, May 30 due to th...
05/26/2026

The Delaware History Museum & Mitchell Center for African American Heritage will be CLOSED on Saturday, May 30 due to the Ladybug Music Festival taking place on Market Street!

The Festival is 12-9 p.m., with live music from 3-9 p.m. Willingtown Square will once again host one of the music stages, with performances beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Free registration is required to attend this year's festival. Register here: https://www.theladybugfestival.com/register-1

The Delaware Historical Society is excited to host In Conversation: Caribbean Heritage on Saturday, June 6 from 3-4 p.m....
05/22/2026

The Delaware Historical Society is excited to host In Conversation: Caribbean Heritage on Saturday, June 6 from 3-4 p.m. This discussion will explore the relationship between the United States and the Caribbean, what Caribbean heritage means to our panelists, and how Caribbean history and culture has influenced Delaware’s Black history.

Our In Conversation series is a panel discussion featuring community leaders, officials, and scholars. This program is intended to bring community members and stakeholders together to share ideas and facilitate a conversations about issues relevant to Delawareans.

Tickets $5 or Free for Delaware Historical Society members. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/caribbean-heritage

We had a beautiful day for A Day in Old New Castle on Saturday! It's always wonderful to welcome first-time visitors and...
05/20/2026

We had a beautiful day for A Day in Old New Castle on Saturday! It's always wonderful to welcome first-time visitors and long-time friends to explore and learn about the Read House, and we loved seeing so many people getting into the spirit of the day in costume!

If you didn't make it last weekend, we'd love to see you soon! We will open for public tours at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, May 21. We will return to regular operating hours this weekend, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Please note: The Delaware History Museum & Mitchell Center for African American Heritage will be CLOSED on Wednesday and...
05/19/2026

Please note: The Delaware History Museum & Mitchell Center for African American Heritage will be CLOSED on Wednesday and Thursday this week, May 20-21, while our campus network receives necessary upgrades. Please visit us Friday or Saturday during normal hours, 12-5 p.m.!

Address

504 N Market Street
Wilmington, DE
19801

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+13026557161

Website

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