Delaware Historical Society

08/21/2026

Within our collections, we have recently found a set of photos, pamphlets and news articles highlighting Millie Cannon and her music career!

Cannon was a Wilmington jazz icon, who helped shaped the city's jazz scene. Playing along with jazz legend Clifford Brown and her brother, Lem Wi******er, Cannon's legacy highlights the rich cultural history of jazz music and its deep ties to the Wilmington community, a rhythm of life that is still very much alive today!

📸: Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, Delaware

08/19/2026

Next week, CSC Station is hosting one of our friends, Brigadier General Kennard R. Wiggins (DE ANG, Ret.), for a discussion of his book "Delaware Patriot Heroes," which explores the stories of Revolutionary War heroes Robert Kirkwood and Peter Jaquett.

To register: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/de-patriot-heroes

08/18/2026

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!

Friday, August 28 | 5 - 10 p.m. | 500 Block of Market St. in Wilmington

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.

08/17/2026

The Read House gardens will be CLOSED tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18 for mosquito treatment. Thank you for understanding.

08/14/2026

As the first week of August draws to a close, we hope that you can squeeze in a few more beach days before the school year officially begins! Our coastal beaches have always been a place of leisure and relaxation for Delawareans and visitors, with many taking advantage of our quaint coastal towns, protected wildlife, and our bustling shopping districts!

📸: Beaches, undated, DHS Postcard Collection, Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, Delaware

08/13/2026

Next Tuesday | August 18 at 6 p.m.
Our friends at the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation are hosting a FREE evening of nature, art, and history for the whole family! Help inspire creativity in the kids in your life by sharing this Historic Arts experience with them.
Reserve your spots by calling 302-655-2500

08/10/2026

Join us this Saturday in New Castle for our August 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 walking tour. Learn about the history and culture of generations of Black families while walking through the neighborhoods where they lived and worked.

August 15 | 1-3 p.m. | Meet at the Read House

Can't make it this weekend? We're offering this tour one Saturday each month through November. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/these-houses-were-homes-2026

08/10/2026

The History Book Festival is coming up on September 26 and we're excited to partner on this book talk, "Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the Revolution," with author Denise Kiernan.

https://www.historybookfestival.org/

Denise Kiernan will present “Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the Revolution” on Saturday, September 26th!
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ABOUT THE BOOK 📚

History has celebrated the “Founding Fathers,” yet we rarely hear of the many women who kept the colonies running and liberty alive. Obstinate Daughters rewrites the story of America’s birth by revealing the courageous, resourceful women whose actions shaped an emerging nation. From the battlefields to the printing press, from the plantations to the pulpit, these women fought, spied, published, preached, farmed, and organized. From the front lines to the home front, from the colonies to the frontier, these unsung heroines turned the tide of the American Revolution.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ✏️

Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist, producer, and host of “CRAFT: Authors in Conversation.” Among her multiple works of narrative history for adults and young people, “The Last Castle” and “The Girls of Atomic City” were both bestsellers. Kiernan lives in North Carolina with her husband, author Joseph D'Agnese.
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This event is presented in partnership with the Delaware Historical Society and The Lewes Historical Society. This presentation is funded in part by the AAUWof Delaware.

The 2026 History Book Festival is presented by
The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group
Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices | Penfed Realty

08/07/2026

Meet CZUR!

CZUR is one of the many scanners DHS utilizes to produce high resolution photographs of our archival materials. Perfect for books, pamphlets, and 3-D objects, the scanner allows us to cultivate our digital collections for public use. The CZUR is one of the two scanners we use at our DCPL events, where we bring up-to-date archival preservation and digitization practices straight to our communities. Here you can see how the CZUR creates a high-resolution image from Mrs. Joseph T. Baily's Recipe Book, 1863-1873!