Stories & Histories

Stories & Histories

African Americans and the Civil War

At first they were not allowed to fight. Then they were and more than 180,000 signed up. This is a presentation on African Americans, free and enslaved, and their role in the Civil War. It examines the challenges they faced and puts a face to soldiers who fought valiantly for the Union cause and freedom.

Stories & Histories

Bustles to Bras

This hour-long visual media presentation of vintage/historic clothing from a personal collection and fashion study in England uses history and humor to reveal the many influences that changed women’s silhouettes from 1780-1980.

Stories & Histories

Escape from Hitler’s Europe: The Comet Line and Its Helpers

Stories & Histories

Louise du Pont Crowninshield: Preservation Pioneer

This slide-illustrated lecture explores the life of Louise Crowninshield, the sister of Henry Francis du Pont.

Stories & Histories

Mad Hatters and White Elephants: Surprising Origins of Common Phrases

Stories & Histories

Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Delaware's Forgotten Daughter

Mary Ann Shad Cary (1823-1893) was one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in black history. She was born in Wilmington, yet few Delaware residents have ever heard of her.

Stories & Histories

Oh Say Can You See...

Recently, the “Star Spangled Banner,” our National Anthem, has been a touch stone for civil rights issues and national controversy. Its words were born out of national crisis, written by a man who was himself no stranger to controversy.

Stories & Histories

Pass the Rum: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

This program looks at the historical attempt to regular the consumption of alcohol over the centuries. While most people are aware of prohibition in the 1920, during the so called Noble Experiment, attempts to regulate this behavior extend far into our past.

Stories & Histories

Preserving War Letters: Touchstones of Time

Letters from any war constitute primary source material, first-hand accounts from the battlefield, and provide a unique window on that conflict. Preserving this priceless correspondence as social history for future generations is critical.

Stories & Histories

Remember the Ladies

This lecture helps us abide by Abigail Adam’s wish that we "remember the ladies," including both Elizabeth Hamilton and Abigail Adams, as well as Martha Washington and Dolley Madison.

Stories & Histories

Seized in September: Revolutionary War Comes to Delaware

Have you ever wondered what happened in Delaware during the Revolutionary War? How did the British get from the Head of the Elk River to Chadds Ford for the Battle of the Brandywine?

Stories & Histories

The Big House

The story of the women prison guards at the New Castle Workhouse, the first in United States history.

Stories & Histories

The Orphan Train Movement of 1854-1929

Learn the history of this seventy-five year "social experiment"—now recognized as our country's first Foster Care System—which transported an estimated 250,000 homeless children from the streets of East Coast cities to farming communities of the Midwest in search of stable homes.

Stories & Histories

The Ritchie Boys: The Allies’ Secret Weapon

Stories & Histories

Those Alluring Accessories

Give yourself points as you guess the purpose and learn the history of women’s accessories from the past. Many you may have never heard of. Once vital to a woman, these beautiful pieces that complimented her style and established her status in society have been lost to time as fashion, culture and even industry changed.

Stories & Histories

Vietnam Mailbag

When American troops in Vietnam answered the call to correspond with a young reporter four decades ago, they could not have envisioned the enduring relevancy of their war letters or the rich legacy their words, photographs and memorabilia would leave to succeeding generations.

Stories & Histories

Whaling on the High Seas: Thar She Blows!

In the 1830s and 40s, Wilmington went whaling! A whaling expedition could last years and lucky for us, one whaler kept a journal of his voyage. Learn the fascinating story of when Delaware went whaling on the high seas.

Stories & Histories

What You Never Knew About Nancy Drew