Sponsor the Cinco De Mayo Festival & Save the Date!

Save the date! Friday, May 4th 2018 from 5:00-10:00 PM is the Cinco de Mayo Festival on Market Street, hosted by Ernest & Scott Taproom and Chelsea Tavern. Last year's event was a success with over 1,300 guests in attendance. 

Individuals from all over the city joined in the fun to celebrate the cultural experience complete with live music, delicious Hispanic food and signature drinks. This year the crowd is expected to be even larger! If you are a business near the Market Street corridor and would like exposure during the event, sponsorship information is located here. 

We look forward to seeing you at the event and celebrating with you!

Celebrate Black History Month at the Delaware Historical Society!

The Delaware Historical Society’s, Mitchell Center for African American Heritage announces a month of free programming with a focus on black history!

All events take place at the Mitchell Center, 504 North Market Street Wilmington, DE.

All events are FREE.

Thursday February 15, 2018 - 6 p.m.

Race, Poverty and Delaware Public Education: Policies, Outcomes and Prospects – Part II

 What impact has a racially segregated educational system had on Delaware?  Share your experiences, perspectives and questions at the Delaware Historical Society ‘s Mitchell Center for African American History panel discussion, Race, Poverty and Delaware Public Education: Policies, Outcomes and Prospects.  Elizabeth Lockman, Director of the Parent Advocacy Council for Education (PACE), will facilitate a conversation with Dorrell Green, Director, DOE Office of Innovation and Improvement, and Shana Payne, Director, DOE Office of Higher Education.

FREE Admission – FREE Parking.

Ms. Anna B. Comegys, teacher, 1947

Photo: Delaware Historical Society Archives

February 24, 2018 – 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Family Saturday: Black History Month

We’re turning our whole museum into a playground where children (ages 5 and up) can learn more about African American culture through games, storytelling and crafts. 

Parents and grandparents (and anyone who is young at heart) are invited to take advantage of free admission and explore our new permanent and rotating exhibitions, including Journey to Freedom, that illustrate the unique contributions and experiences of people of African descent in Delaware history.  

Free Admission Courtesy PNC Bank.

Photo: Delaware Historical Society Archives

And in March….

Family Saturday March 10, 2018  - 1:30 p.m.

Celebrating Harriet Tubman Day: Seeking Freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Families can discover what is was like to seek freedom on the Underground Railroad through hands-on activities including writing a telegram in the secret language of the Underground Railroad, and taking a picture with Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett!

Free Admission

Photo of Harriet Tubman courtesy  Library of Congress

Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation Presents the Annual Dickinson Memorial

Join historian Dick Carter on February 17th to learn more about our local Founding Father on this 250th Anniversary of his writings "Letters from a Farmer." Dickinson descendant Evelyn Swenssen will be performing his Liberty Song, Mayor Purzycki is slated to read the eulogy and a beautiful wreath by Quaker Hill florist Flowers by Tino will laid at Dickinson's grave in the Wilmington Friends cemetery.  All are welcome to attend this event presented by the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation. 

The Facebook event can be found here.

The Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation is Historic Preservation & Education non-profit dedicated to sharing and preserving the vital history of the Quaker Hill Historic District in the heart of downtown Wilmington. Free Underground Railroad Workshops, field trips, tours, publications and more are part of their efforts. 

The team of individuals are devoted to ensuring the neighborhood still retains a diverse architectural character, inherited from the 1978 designation of Quaker Hill as a National Register Historic District. Recent renovation and restoration of remaining structures, coupled with the construction of new housing, give definite signs of a revitalization of Quaker Hill.

Interested in joining the preservation efforts of this neighborhood? Contact them at the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation (www.quakerhillhistoric.org) 

Thomas Hamm lecture at Wilmington Friends Meeting House, February 16th

On Friday, February 16th, from 7:30-9:30 PM our friends at Wilmington Friends Meeting are ending their 200th Anniversary festivities with an intriguing lecture by Thomas Hamm, professor of history at Earlham College, on the subject of the Hicksite-Orthodox Schism which divided the Meeting shortly after the completion of the building.

This could be a potential source of historical context around understanding Quaker Thomas Garrett's abolitionist activity and the role of Quakers in the Underground Railroad. The event will take place at Wilmington Friends Meeting House located at 401 N West Street Wilmington DE 19720.

Hope you can join us! 

The Downtown Farmer's Market 2018 Vendor Application is Available

Last year's Farmer's Market was the biggest year yet with the most attendance, award-winning food trucks, live entertainment, produce stands, vendors and even veggie giveaways!

Be sure to reserve your spot for this year's activities as well! The vendor application is now available online.

Follow all of the Farmer's Market fun on Facebook!