| Delaware Historical Society | |
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Logo of the Delaware Historical Society |
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Location in Delaware
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| Established | 1864 |
| Location | 504 N. Market St., Wilmington, Delaware |
| Type | History |
| Director | Joan Reynolds Hoge |
| Curator | Stephanie Przybylek |
| Public transit access | Wilmington Amtrak Station |
| Website | Official Website |
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major 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.[1]
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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.
The main museum consists of three rotating exhibit halls in a converted 1941 art deco Woolworth's store, one of two that used to operate on Market Street. Exhibits include costumes, children's toys and folk art.[2]
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 was officially laid in state.
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. [3]
The buildings interiors serve as office and meeting space for the society but patrons can access the courtyard and grounds.
| [4] Building Name | Built | Construction | Original Use | Relocated |
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| 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 | 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 |
The society provides free access by appointment 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.[5] Senator William V. Roth's widow donated all of his papers to the library.[6]
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.[7]
Located in New Castle on the Strand, the George Read II House was built in 1801 by 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 14,000 square feet (1,300 m2). [8] 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. [9]
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