Delaware Historical Society#Delaware History Center

{{Short description|State historical society of the United States}}

{{Infobox museum

|name = Delaware Historical Society

|native_name =

|native_name_lang =

|image = Delaware Historical Society Logo.png

|imagesize = 150

|caption = Logo of the Delaware Historical Society

|alt =

|map_type = Delaware

|map_caption = Location in Delaware

|map_alt =

|coordinates = {{coord|39.742785|-75.550382|display=inline}}

|established = {{Start date|1864}}

|dissolved =

|location = 504 N. Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware

|type = History

|collection =

|visitors =

|director = David Young, Ph.D.

|president = Margaret Laird, Ph.D.

|curator =

|publictransit = {{bus icon|12px}} DART First State bus: 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 25, 35, 52

|network =

|website = {{url|https://dehistory.org/}}

}}

The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a statewide historical institution with several buildings, including Old Town Hall and the Delaware History Museum, in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.

The society participates in joint marketing with the Delaware Tourism Office, the Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Brandywine Museums & Gardens Alliance.{{cite news | title =2 museums drop entrance fee | newspaper = The News Journal | date = 2008-12-25 | url = http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20081225/ENTERTAINMENT15/812250308 |access-date = 2009-02-01 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

==Delaware History Center==

The society's Wilmington Campus is located between 5th and 6th Streets on Lower Market Street in Wilmington. This row is the historic shopping district and currently markets itself as the LoMa Design District to promote urban redevelopment. The complex includes an arch over the street.

===Delaware History Museum===

File:Delaware History Museum.JPG

The main museum consists of two permanent exhibit halls in a converted 1941 art deco Woolworth's store, one of two that used to operate on Market Street. Exhibits include “Delaware: One State, Many Stories,” Discover Delaware, and the Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage.

===Old Town Hall===

Image:Old Town Hall Wilmington.JPG

The Old Town Hall served as the city hall for the Burough and later City of Wilmington. Constructed in 1798 in the federal style, the building also included the jail and library. The Marquis de Lafayette received a reception there and President Andrew Jackson was the guest of honor at a dinner. In 1851, the body of Senator Henry Clay officially lay in state.

===Willingtown Square===

File:Willingtown Square.JPG

Willingtown Square is a collection of buildings relocated from other sections of downtown to make way for high rise construction. Started as part of the bicentennial celebration in 1976, the square is named after Thomas Willing, the founder of Wilmington.{{cite web |last=Pfingsten |first=William |title=Willington Square |publisher=The Historical Marker Database |date=September 1, 2008 |url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=10948 |access-date=March 27, 2022}}

The buildings' interiors serve as office and meeting space for the society but patrons can access the courtyard and grounds.

Image:Flemish bond.svg

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

! {{cite web

|title = Willington Square

|publisher = Historical Society of Delaware

|url = http://www.hsd.org/willsq.htm

|access-date = 2009-03-01

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080511192320/http://www.hsd.org/willsq.htm

|archive-date = 2008-05-11

}} Building Name

! Built

! Construction

! Original Use

! Relocated

Cook-Simms House

| 1778

| Flemish bond

| Herbal medicine shop, Residence

| 1976

Catherine Coxe House

| 1801

| Band Box

| Residence

| 1976

Margaret Coxe House

| 1801

| Band Box

| Residence

| 1976

Jacobs House (aka Zachariah Ferris House)

| 1748

| Flemish bond

| Residence

| 1976

Jacob Dingee House

| 1771

| Flemish bond

| Cabinet workshop, Residence

| 1976

Obidiah Dingee House

| 1773

| Flemish bond

| Cabinet workshop, Residence

| 1976

Library and research center

File:Delaware History Research.JPG

The society provides free access to a research library with unique special collections. The collection includes work on Delaware genealogy, maps, and Underground Railroad as well as a letter from George Washington to Caesar Rodney.{{cite web |title=Research Library |url=http://www.dehistory.org/library.htm#Rare%20Books%20and%20Pamphlets |publisher=Delaware Historical Society |access-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405083718/http://www.dehistory.org/library.htm#Rare%20Books%20and%20Pamphlets |archive-date=April 5, 2009}} Senator William V. Roth's widow donated all of his papers to the library.{{cite web |url=https://dehistory.org/collections/about-our-collections/senator-william-v-roth-collection/ |title=Senator William V. Roth Collection |website=Delaware Historical Society |access-date=March 27, 2022}} The library is open Mondays from 1 pm to 9 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 1 pm, Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm, and the third Saturday of every month from 10 am to 4 pm.

Located at 505 North Market Street, a former Artisans Savings Bank branch location houses the library. Tilghman Ware Company built the art deco structure in 1930–31.{{cite web |title=Historic Building Notes on Selected Market Street Properties |publisher=East Coast Greenway |date=2008-05-08 |url=http://www.greenway.org/trailcouncil/may08mtg/marketsttour.pdf |access-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705121824/http://www.greenway.org/trailcouncil/may08mtg/marketsttour.pdf |archive-date=July 5, 2008}}

==Read House and gardens==

Located in New Castle on the Strand, the George Read II House was built in 1801 by George Read, Jr., the son of George Read, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The house was the largest in the state at the time it was built with 22 rooms covering {{convert|14000|sqft|m2}}.{{cite web |title=Read House & Gardens |publisher=Historical Society of Delaware |url=http://www.hsd.org/willsq.htm |access-date=2009-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511192320/http://www.hsd.org/willsq.htm |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=dead }} The house also includes a rathskeller in the basement that served as a speakeasy. This dates from the 1920s when the Laird family owned the house and were bootleggers. The house was restored in 1986.{{cite news |title=New Castle Attractions |work=The New York Times |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/delaware/new-castle/attraction-detail.html?vid=1154654620449 |access-date=2009-03-02}}

References

External links

{{Official website}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090129095625/http://www.brandywinetreasures.org/ Brandywine 10]
[http://www.downtownwilmington.com/ Downtown Wilmington] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715114417/http://www.downtownwilmington.com/ |date=2007-07-15 }}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090221040110/http://www.lomadistrict.org/ The LoMa Design District]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150602035749/http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=%2FPhotos%2F85000154.djvu&style=nps%2FFOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item%28SUMMARY%2CCOPYRIGHT%29 NRHP District Listing with Photos]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150602035956/http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=%2FPhotos%2F74000605.djvu&style=nps%2FFOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item%28SUMMARY%2CCOPYRIGHT%29 NRHP Town Hall Listing with Photos]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150602035713/http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=%2FPhotos%2F70000171.djvu&style=nps%2FFOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item%28SUMMARY%2CCOPYRIGHT%29 NRHP Jacob Dingee House with Photos]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150602041023/http://image1.nps.gov:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=NRHP&item=%2FPhotos%2F70000172.djvu&style=nps%2FFOCUS-DJview.xsl&wid=640&hei=480&oif=jpeg&props=item%28SUMMARY%2CCOPYRIGHT%29 NRHP Obidiah Dingee House with Photos]