Summer 2010 Newsletter - the New Castle Historical Society

Tidings
Summer 2010
A Publication of the New Castle Historical Society
NCHS Bus Trip: Hidden Treasures of Lancaster County
Wright’s Ferry Mansion built
in 1738 (the same year as the
Amstel House), reflects the
Quaker influence of Susanna
Wright, its first owner. It
houses a wonderful collection
of pre-1750 Pennsylvania
antiques.
Join NCHS for a day trip
into the heart of Lancaster County where we'll
get off the beaten path to
visit three fantastic
historic museums: The
1738 Wright's Ferry Mansion, the National Watch
& Clock Museum, and the
Ephrata Cloister (above).
The National Watch & Clock
Musuem has over 12,000
items in its collection,
including the largest
collection of 19th century
American clocks. A special
exhibit on James Bond’s
watches will be in place
during our visit.
The Ephrata Cloister was one
of America’s earliest
religious communities
founded in 1732 by German
settlers. At its height in the
1740s and 1750s about 300
members lived and
worshiped at the Cloister.
The price per person of $55
includes travel by deluxe
motor coach, admission to
all the museums and lunch at
the Taste of Styles/Golden
Stories restaurant.
We'll depart New Castle at
8:00 a.m. and return by 7:00
p.m. Space is limited so
please call the Society at
302-322-2794 to make your
reservation today.
No Lazy Summer Days at NCHS
As the “dog days” of
summer wind down, it would
be nice to sit back and put
our feet up, but we’ve been
so busy at the New Castle
Historical Society we’ve not
had the time to do that!
Visitation at the Amstel and
Dutch Houses is up almost
13% since last year. We’ve
also had almost 900 people
visit the Old Library
Museum on summer
weekends to see the wedding
exhibit, Tying The Knot. The
Society has been hosting
many more group walking
tours around the historic
district than we have in
previous years.
The summer season started
off with a bang on May 15,
Historic New Castle Day.
Over 1,200 people toured
NCHS museums including
more than 500 at the Old
Library. We also opened a
photo exhibit about the
Town Hall and Market
House in the Old Town Hall.
After HNC Day, we jumped
right into planning the
Garden Party. Over 150
people attended the party
where the Society
recognized five different
preservation projects in
New Castle with its annual
Bamberger Preservation
Awards.
In July, we began planning
our very busy fall schedule
that will include a bus trip,
lectures, and of course,
Hauntings in History tours.
We also hosted children’s
groups like the New Castle
summer camp and East Side
Charter School.
In August, we hosted an
evening museum tour for
1651 Benefactors and a
workshop for museum and
costume specialists interested
in the process of mounting a
costume exhibition at a small
museum (see page 5).
As summer winds down,
we’re looking forward to an
equally exciting fall. We hope
you’ll join us for the rest of
our 2010 events!
Page 2
Tidings
“The Americans Fought Like Demons!”
That was how Lt. General
Charles Cornwallis
described the fighting at
the Battle of Guilford
Courthouse on March 15,
1781.
The New Castle Historical
Society will offer a free
program about the
Delaware Regiment, heroes
of Guilford Courthouse,
and many other
Revolutionary War battles,
on September 26 at 2:00
p.m. at the New Castle
Court House Museum.
Revolutionary war
re-enactor Mitchell Hunt,
of North Carolina, will
present a first person
interpretation of a
recruiting officer from
Robert Kirkwood’s
Delaware Regiment. The
Regiment was well known
throughout the Continental
Army as one of General
Washington’s best, bravest,
and most effective units.
Mitchell will focus on the
unit’s experiences in the
Southern Campaign - at
battles like Hobkirk’s Hill,
Eutaw Springs, and
Guilford Courthouse where the Delawares
distinguished themselves
again and again. A
monument to the
Delawares (right) has been
placed in the Guilford
Military Park near
Greensboro, NC.
Costume Society of America Awards Grant to NCHS
The New Castle Historical
Society received a $1,500
Small Museums Collection
Care grant from the
Costume Society of
America (CSA). The grant
will pay for storage
materials and shelving to
properly house historic
clothing that currently
resides in less than ideal
conditions.
The grant will pay for the
care of about 70 articles of
clothing, mostly men’s
clothing and military
uniforms. The clothing is
currently stored on hangers
in a closet in the Amstel
House. Storing historic
clothing on hangers puts
great stress on seams and
fabric, and may damage the
clothing over the long term.
In addition, the closet is
located on an outside wall
where its interior is subject
to excessive heat and
humidity levels that cannot
be controlled by the
museum’s HVAC system.
Finally, the clothing is at
risk from acid leeching out
of the woodwork of the
closet and migrating into
any fabric that is touching
it.
The grant reviewers for the
CSA praised the Society’s
efforts at preserving its
large and important textile
collection stating the
Society has an “excellent
track record” for a “small
organization with limited
funds and small staff.” The
Society relies heavily on
dedicated and talented
volunteers to work with the
textile and other collections.
Without our volunteers we
would be unable to care for
our collections.
For more information about the
CSA, please visit their website:
www.costumesocietyamerica.com.
New Books at the Amstel House
Museum Shop
Sheppard Lee Written by Himself
Written by New Castle’s own Robert Montgomery Bird in 1836, and
praised by Edgar Allen Poe, Sheppard Lee, satirizes American society
of the early 19th century. The author relates a sometimes comical
ghost story in which he is the featured ghost! $16.95.
Images of America - New Castle County
Ellen Rendle, Curator of Images at the Delaware Historical Society,
collected images to create a wonderful photo history of NCCo
spanning 100 years, from 1875 to 1975. $21.95.
The New Castle Historical Society
Thanks Our 2010 Members for their Support!
1651 Benefactors
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Appleby
Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Appleby, Jr.
Mr. Vincent S. Barbone, CPA of
Haggerty & Haggerty, P.A.
Mr. & Mrs. Denis C. Beaumont
Mr. Greg Bentley & Mr. Terry Muto
Dr. Patricia Bigelow
Mr. & Mrs. Roger B. Clark
Mrs. John M. Cleveland
Hon. & Mrs. Richard R. Cooch
Mr. Stephen J. Cordano &
Ms. Lorraine Sitler
Mr. David Cullmann &
Mr. Anthony LaTorella
Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Davis
Mr. & Mrs. Robert R. Davis
Mr. & Mrs. Dick Dornich
Mr. Hunter H. Ficke &
Ms. Dorothy Bellhouse
Mr. Paul D. Flannigan &
Mr. Matthew Esteves
Mr. & Mrs. Robert R. Galford
Mr. & Mrs. William Gatter
Ms. Terry Graham
Mr. Vincent Greggo of Parkway
Gravel, Inc.
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Hayes of
ForeSite Associates, Inc.
Ms. Alice Jarvis
Ms. Nancy Jodlbauer
Mr. Timothy P. Johnson
Mr. & Mrs. G. Douglass Lovett
Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Lovlie
Drs. Thomas & Linda Maddux
Ms. Carol R. Maltenfort
Mr. Calvin E. Marshall
Ms. Mildred S. McGraw
Drs. James & Rita Meek
Mrs. Joseph Monigle
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Moskovis
Dr. & Mrs. Peter R. Mund
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald W. Norvell
Dr. & Mrs. Lewis Orchard
Drs. Soma & Raj Padmalingam
Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Poskitt
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Ratchford
Mr. & Mrs. Tim Scully of
Curt Scully Realty
Mr. & Mrs. Collins J. Seitz, Jr.
Mr. C. Michael Shook & Mr. Julio Luna
Mr. & Mrs. Karel G. Toll
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Vellrath
Mr. Carlo & Dr. Joanne Viola, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald J. Vukelich
Mr. & Mrs. James A. Whisman, Jr.
Mr. Gary L. Wirt & Mr. John Dewey
Mr. Christopher Feryo of
Gebhart Funeral Homes
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Fleck, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Roderick J. Gillespie
Mr. & Mrs. Allen R. Hansen
Ms. Grace D. Hayford
Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. Heath
Mr. Michael C. Hemphill
Mr. John Keller & Ms. Holly Joseph
Mr. Philip L. Knotts of Knotts, Inc.
Mrs. Greta Brown Layton
Ms. Helen M. Leach
Mr. & Mrs. Gene A. Mayhew
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Moore
Ms. Anita Mullikin
Mr. & Mrs. Terrence O'Neill
Mr. Jim Paoli of
Payroll Management Assistance
Ms. Linda L. Phillips
Mr. & Mrs. H. Hickman Rowland, Jr.
Mr. John Schoff of Ultrachem, Inc.
Ms. Roberta N. Yarker Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Suskie
Mr. Steve Velitskakis of
Porto Fino Pizza & Restaurant
Ms. Kathy Warner
Mr. & Mrs. James Williams
Ms. Joyce Worsley of
Wilmington Trust Co.
Mr. & Mrs. R. Martin Wright
Drs. Giulio J. D'Angio & Audrey Evans
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Davison
Mrs. Nancy Davison
Mr. & Mrs. Lee Dettra
Mr. & Mrs. Robert P. Dill
Dr. William H. Duncan
Mr. & Mrs. Harry W. Ferguson
Mr. & Mrs. James R. Flook
Mr. & Mrs. Vincent A. Gambacorta
Mr. & Mrs. John W. Gardner
Mr. John Geisel &
Ms. Martha McNamara
Mr. Thomas E. Geraghty &
Mr. Seymour Maurer
Mr. & Mrs. Lowell Groundland
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Guttenplan
Mr. & Mrs. David M. Henshaw
Mr. & Mrs. Frank L. Hewlett, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Francis A. Ianni
Mr. & Mrs. James G. Kennedy
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen A. Leishman
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur A. Liggio
Dr. & Mrs. G. Dean MacEwen
Dr. & Mrs. Robert W. Mayer
Dr. & Mrs. Bryan S. McCarthy
Dr. & Mrs. Mark J. Miller
Mr. & Mrs. J. William Morrow
Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey D. Neville
Mr. & Mrs. William T. Peden
Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Petty
Mr. Herbert T. Pratt
Ms. Patricia A. Ramone &
Mr. Michael McClay
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Reed
Mr. & Mrs. Donald A. Reese
Mr. & Mrs. Kerry Rhoades
Mr. & Mrs. Glenn D. Rill
Mr. David Robinson, III
Mr. & Mrs. David Ross
Dr. Bernadette Ruf
Mr. & Mrs. William C. Schmidt
Mr. & Mrs. Charles C. Seastrom
Ms. Laura Semmelroth &
Mr. Charles Burr
Mr. & Mrs. Harry A. Skilton
Dr. & Mrs. Gerald R. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Peter V. Snow
Mr. & Mrs. Jay Stewart
Mr. & Mrs. James E. Stockwell
Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Stoffer
Mrs. Herb Swanson
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas R. Truman
Mr. Allen Tweddle and
Ms. Deborah Dintenfass
Mr. & Mrs. Philip B. Weymouth, Jr.
Ms. Barbara A. Winkler and
Mr. Doug Edwards
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel F. Wolcott, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Dennis Young
Mr. Lee C. Fischer
Ms. Anne Dorsey Fiske
Ms. Donna Fox
Ms. Kathy Graham
Ms. Eleanor A. Green
Mr. & Mrs. John K. Greenland
Ms. Phyllis D. Greenwood
Ms. Pamela A. Hagerty
Ms. Mary Ann Hall
Ms. Susan J. Hannell
Ms. Margaret Pyle Hassert
Ms. Sally L. Hatton
Mr. Robert Hays
Mr. Jeff Hepler
Ms. Mary Jane Holcomb
Ms. Pauline A. Howard
Ms. Elaine Hudson
Mr. Frederick E. Hughes
Mrs. Edward F. Hutchinson
Ms. Margaret Johnson
Mr. Theodore G. Joslin
Mr. & Mrs. Gregory C. Kaspin
Mr. John Klingmeyer
Mrs. Elizabeth H. Lease
Ms. Mary F. Lenhoff of
Bridgewater Jewelers
Mr. Thomas Manerchia
Mrs. Betsy Martino
Ms. Sandra J. McCracken
Mr. Robert A. Meadus
Ms. Josephine F. Moore
Ms. Doris A. Mozer
Ms. Kathryn Nardone
Ms. Katherine C. Newell
Ms. Nancy W. Parker
Mr. William A. Parsons, III
Mr. Francis L. Patterson, IV &
Ms. Katie Ryan
Mr. & Mrs. Steven M. Pedrick
Ms. Carolyn Z. Roland
Mr. Robert C. Sigmund
Ms. Joan Simpson
Mrs. Donna R. Sippel
Ms. Joan Smith
Ms. Judy Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Snook
Mrs. Cindy Snyder
Ms. Loretta Spigel
Ms. Darleen F. Sullivan
Mr. and Mrs. Fred V. Tarburton
Mr. Thomas Tear
Ms. Katherine M. Tidball
Mr. Henry E. Tobey
Ms. Marilyn Tulloch
Ms. Betty Wagner
Mr. Gary M. Walton
Ms. Joyce E. Wells
Ms. Ruth W. Williams
Ms. Sidney B. Wilson
Mr. & Mrs. Randy Windle
Ms. Kimberly A. Wipf
Ms. Elizabeth Zannoni
Mr. Peter Zeigler
Ms. Valarie Ziminsky
Ms. Katharine Pinto-Coelho
Hon. & Mrs. William Quillen
Mrs. R. James Quillen, Jr.
Mr. Richard Stat of 326 Associates, Inc.
Patrons
Mr. & Mrs. Chris Alabrudzinski
Mr. & Mrs. Bruce A. Allshouse
Mr. William G. Blest
Colonel & Mrs. Kenneth P. Brown
Mr. Michael Cirillo of
Cirillo Bros., Inc.
Mr. & Mrs. Edward W. Cooch, Jr.
Mr. T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Ms. Patricia B. Crichton
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Donahue
Household
Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Alfree, Sr.
Mr. Paul Arnold &
Ms. Vivienne Cameron
Mr. Christopher F. Baum
Mr. & Mrs. H. Binney Beale
Mr. & Mrs. Lee Berkes
Mr. & Mrs. David D. Bird
Ms. Alice Bridgewater
Mr. Kenneth C. Brownson &
Mr. Raymond L. Harriman, III
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Buckley
Dr. & Mrs. Charles P. Campbell
Mr. & Mrs. Earl Carpenter
Mr. & Mrs. Christopher J. Cashman
Mr. & Mrs. Anthony C. Charwick
Mr. & Mrs. Victor M. Clark, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Colburn
Mrs. Vivian B. Coxe &
Mr. Robert Coxe
Individual
Allen County Public Library
Ms. Lois Barth
Ms. Ginsey Bates
Ms. Linda L. Beck
Dr. Barbara Belford
Ms. Barbara Bell
Mr. Jeffrey A. Bergstrom
Ms. Matilda B. Bixby
Mr. Brian G. Cannon
Ms. Mary T. Cannon
Ms. Ann Marie Casey
Mr. & Mrs. Greg Christoph
Ms. Janet I. Churchill
Ms. Pauletta Clemens
Ms. Constance J. Cooper
Mr. & Mrs. Ted Corbett
Mr. William L. Cramer, Jr.
Ms. Martha E. DeHaven
Mrs. Mary B. Duncan
Mrs. Dorothea R. Edwards
Ms. Linda Emerick
Ms. Karen D. Farquhar
Life
Dr. Genevieve Miller
Ms. Regina M. Mullen
Page 4
Tidings
Hauntings in History Tours Return in October
New Castle’s favorite ghost
tours are back in October!
NCHS’s Hauntings in History
tours return again just in
time for Halloween!
The Hauntings in History tour
is the only tour that brings
you inside the Amstel
House - one of New Castle’s
most well documented
haunted houses - with stories
of ghostly encounters in the
house going back for
decades.
You’ll start with a tour of the
Amstel House where you’ll
hear about the lives and
deaths of four women that
might be the famous “Lady
in Blue” that haunts the
house. You’ll visit the
bedchamber and walk on the
staircase where apparitions
have most frequently been
reported.
Once you explore the
Amstel House, and decide
for yourself who the Lady in
Blue is, you’ll venture out
into the dark, cool night in
search of other New Castle
legends and stories of the
supernatural. Mixed in along
with the stories will be plenty
of New Castle history including the history of
capital punishment, funerary
practices, and mourning
customs.
Hauntings in History tours are
scheduled to begin at 7:00,
7:30, and 8:30 p.m. on
October 15, 16, 22, 23, 29
and 30th. Tours are held rain
or shine. Tickets are $10 for
adults and $6 for children
under 12. Since these tours
sell out quickly, call the
Society at 302-322-2794
today to make your
reservations.
“When I was young Christ called me home, My soul to leave this frame.
And in the dust my body must, Till the last day Remain.”
- Gravestone (above) of William Garland, d. January 6, 1777.
Immanuel Churchyard, New Castle, Delaware
Tour Guides and Volunteers Needed for Hauntings in History Program
Our most popular guided tours are just around the corner!
As we get ready for this year’s Hauntings in History tours we can use your help!
•
•
•
Volunteers are needed to:
Check people in upon arrival and sell tickets to walk-in visitors
Staff the gift shop in the Amstel House
Lead guided walking tours (Training is scheduled for September 29. Other dates are available to
accommodate personal schedules.)
Call Mike Connolly at 302-322-2794 if you are interested in these opportunities!
Summer 2010
Page 5
Food In Art & Art In Food...17th Century Dutch Cooking
The New Castle Historical
Society, in partnership with
the Delaware Historical
Society and the Delaware
Division of Historical &
Cultural Affairs, will present a
program on historic Dutch
food of the 17th century on
October 16 at 1:00 p.m.
Food historian Peter Rose
will discuss historic Dutch
foodways in America and the
legacy of colonial Dutch
cooking on the modern
American diet. Peter will use
historic Dutch artwork and
artifacts to frame her interactive
discussion of Dutch foodways
with the audience.
Donuts, pretzels, coleslaw,
pancakes, waffles, wafers, and
cookies are all part of the
culinary legacy that 17th century
Dutch settlers left to modern
Americans.
After developing an
understanding of the Dutch
influence on the American diet,
the audience will have an
opportunity to sample
traditional Dutch recipes as
published in a 17th century
Dutch cookbook. They will
then be able to draw their
own comparisons between
historic and modern foods.
Peter was born in the
Netherlands, and has
researched historic Dutch
foods since the 1980s. She
has written articles for Goumet
and Saveur and authored
several books on Dutch and
Hudson Valley cooking.
Delaware Humanities Forum, a
state program of the National
Endowment for the
Humanities. It will be held at
the Buena Vista Conference
Center on Rt. 13 South in New
Castle.
Admission is $8; Admission for
members of the New Castle
Historical Society or Delaware
Historical Society is $5. Call
302-322-2794 to reserve your
spot.
This program is partially
funded by a grant from the
A Trail of Two Cities
New Combination Ticket for New Castle & Odessa Museums
This September and October
the New Castle Historical
Society will partner with the
Delaware Historical Society
and the Historic Odessa
Foundation to offer tours of
seven historic museums for
only $12 - more than 50% off
regular admission prices!
From September 7 through
October 31, with this ticket
you’ll receive one-time
admission to New Castle’s
Amstel House (1738), Dutch
House (c. 1690), and Read
House & Gardens (1801) as
well as Odessa’s Corbit-Sharp
House (c. 1774), WilsonWarner House (c. 1769),
Collins-Sharp House (c. 1700),
and the Odessa Bank (1853).
tory buffs, as well as the
wonderful environment of the
Delaware Coast for nature
lovers.
Overnight visitors can get
special overnight
accommodations at the
This is a perfect opportunity
Clarion Belle hotel in New
to explore two of the most
Castle (302-428-1000). And as
historic towns in Delaware.
a special incentive, if you get
Linked by the Route 9 Coastal your special combination
Heritage Scenic Byway, New
ticket punched at all three
Castle and Odessa offer plenty participating organizations,
of charm and culture for his-
you can redeem it for a $25 gift
certificate to Harry’s Savoy restaurant or Seafood Grill.
Tickets can be purchased at the
Amstel House, Read House &
Gardens or the Odessa Bank.
Visit www.newcastlehistory.org for
more information.
NCHS Hosts Textile Exhibit Workshop
On August 21, sixteen costume
and museum specialists,
including professionals from
the Smithsonian and University
of Delaware, visited the New
Castle Historical Society to see
our Tying The Knot exhibit. They
were participants in a workshop
to understand the process of
developing and mounting an
ambitious textile or costume
exhibit in a small museum with
a very limited budget and staff.
The program was hosted by
NCHS executive director Mike
Connolly, NCHS volunteer
Susan Hannell, and Colleen
Callahan from Costume &
Textile Specialists.
After viewing the exhibit at
both the Amstel House and
Old Library, the participants
attended a presentation and
panel discussion that provided a
comprehensive overview of the
process used to create the
exhibit. Everything from
concept to implementation was
covered, including the final
budget and sources used for
dress forms, conservation
materials, and graphics.
After lunch at Jessop’s Tavern
some members of the group
joined Mike for a walking tour
around the Green and the
Strand.
This presentation will be
offered by Mike Connolly again
at the 2011 Small Museum
Association conference in
Ocean City, Maryland next
February.
NON-PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 604
WILMINGTON, DE
New Castle Historical Society
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
2 East Fourth Street
New Castle, DE 19702
Phone: 302-322-2794
Fax: 302-322-8923
Email: [email protected]
Discover the Past with Us!
WWW. NEWCASTLEHISTORY. ORG
This Newsletter Now Available via Email!
NCHS Board & Staff
Tidings, the print newsletter of the New Castle Historical Society, is now
available via email as an Adobe PDF document. In an effort to reduce our
printing and mailing costs, and help our members cut down the amount of
paper around the house, the Society is offering all our members the option to
receive Tidings via email instead of “snail mail.”
Officers
Richard R. Cooch, President
Robert W. Poskitt, Vice President
Stephen J. Cordano, Secretary
James A. Whisman, Jr., Treasurer
If you’d like to receive Tidings via email, just send an email to us at
[email protected].
You will need Adobe Reader to read Tidings. You can download the latest
version for free at www.adobe.com
This summer NCHS joined over 900
museums across the United States in
supporting our nation’s military families
by offering them complimentary
admission to the Amstel House and
Dutch House museums.
Board Members
Joan F. Appleby
Florence Davis
Nancy Jodlbauer
Mary Lenhoff
G. Douglass Lovett
Esther Lovlie
Thomas C. Maddux
Timothy Mancl
James L. Meek
Sally S. Monigle
Roberta I. Morrow
C. Michael Shook
Darren Wright
Staff
Michael Connolly, Executive Director,
[email protected]
Bruce F. Dalleo, Education Coordinator,
[email protected]
Susan Richman, Office Manager,
[email protected]
Phone: (302) 322-2794
[email protected]
www.newcastlehistory.org