And They’re Off!!!

May 2nd, 2012
Delaware Park Home-Stretch

Delaware Park Home-Stretch

With all the excitement about the Kentucky Derby, we had some people stop by to see if we had anything relating to thoroughbred racing in Delaware.  They loved looking at all the old photographs from Delaware Park.  They reviewed state reports, administrative files from the Department of Agriculture on the Thoroughbred Racing Commission and scrapbooks and newspaper clippings.  They got a list of commission members and even looked at legislation relating to horse racing. They were so amazed at the early apprentice indentures for harness making and trimming.

To view more pictures of thoroughbred racing in Delaware, view our album on Facebook.

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Delaware Public Archives to Feature Tour and Display of Dover Photographs

April 30th, 2012

If you were born, married, or attended public school in Delaware, eventually the Delaware Public Archives will have a record of you. As part of the Dover Days celebration, the staff of the Delaware Public Archives will conduct a tour of the facility on Saturday, May 5, at 1:30 p.m.   This annual “behind the scenes” tour of the building offers the public a rare opportunity to learn more about the role of the Archives, and see how the Archives preserves and protects the records that are important to every Delawarean.  Archives Director Stephen M. Marz notes that “many people who have toured the Archives are surprised by the amount of documents and photographs that are stored at the facility.  Because the Delaware Public Archives serves as the official government repository for state, county and local government records, the Archives is well known as a valuable resource for researchers, genealogists, and historians.” Part of the tour will include a viewing of Delaware’s Bill of Rights which is on display until July 2 of this year.  The tour is free to the public.  No reservations are required. 

 Along with the tour, the Delaware Public Archives will be celebrating Dover Days by displaying a series of the Dover photographs in its lobby from its collection of more than 800,000 images. This display will feature photographs of the Capital City from the early to mid-twentieth century.


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The Old Courts of Delaware

April 17th, 2012

If you have been reading the newspapers lately or watching the news, you know that Delaware has a scheduled execution for April 20th.  We had some curious citizens stop in to see if we had any information or documents about past executions.

They started by looking at our newspaper collection. Next they looked in our general reference files for Capital Punishment. That sparked their interest in the courts.  For instance, from colonial times until 1951, a serious criminal case was heard by the Court of General Sessions. 

If it was deemed worthy of capital punishment, the case then went to the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

They were also surprised to learn that the Secretary of State served as the Clerk of the Court for the Court of Appeals.  They couldn’t believe all the old courts that no longer exist.  

To learn more about early courts in Delaware you can visit our agency histories page. To see the various types of records we have for the courts use our online guide and do a key word search for “court.”


Old Court House in New Castle

Old Court House in New Castle

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Searching for Your Family Roots in the 1940 Census

March 29th, 2012

 

            Looking for help in finding a parent, grandparent, or other relative in the soon to be released 1940 United States Census?  The Delaware Public Archives can help!  On Saturday, April 7, 10:30 a.m. the Delaware Public Archives will present a program about the 1940 Census featuring Jefferson M. Moak, Senior Archivist with the National Archives & Records Administration, Mid-Atlantic Region. Because the U.S. Census is confidential for 72 years, the 1940 Census will be available to researchers for the first time in April.  While the U.S. Census, recorded every ten years, has traditionally been viewed as an extremely valuable genealogical tool, there are changes and differences each time it is conducted and recorded. The Delaware Public Archives is sponsoring this special program in order to help genealogists and researchers get a head start on what this census can provide. 

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I Just Got My License!!!

March 27th, 2012

Growing up in Pennsylvania, the only indication that a new driver was behind the wheel was a nervous parent sitting in the front passenger seat or some less-than-confident moves on the road. When I moved to Delaware and began seeing “Novice Driver” stickers affixed to cars, I couldn’t help but like them. What a great way to communicate with other drivers that you need a little extra consideration while you’re mastering the rules of the road. Now, according to the DMV’s website, it’s not mandatory for people with a graduated driver’s license to sport a “Novice Driver” magnet or sticker, but it’s definitely a great tool for keeping everyone safe and aware. It might not seem like the coolest car accessory, but don’t sweat it. We all had to go through the learning process. And hey, it could be worse…

Drivers Education Car 1950s

Drivers Education Car 1950s


While organizing our Board of Education photo collection, I came across this shot from Newark High School. Perhaps the “Novice Driver” sticker isn’t quite so bad after all. I also discovered driver education annual reports from 1947 to 1965 and correspondence from 1951 from the 6th Annual National Drivers’ Education  Award Program in our Department of Public Instruction records. I found a “Brief Historical Sketch of Driver Education in Delaware, 1935-1968” in the State Reports collection.

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Was That A Delaware Record I Just Saw?!?

March 16th, 2012

 


 

A Unique Honeymoon

A Unique Honeymoon

So I was watching TV last night and an Ancestry.com commercial came on.  It was a woman talking about how she was looking for information on her grandmother and lo and behold she found her marriage record.  To my surprise the next image they showed was a Delaware marriage certificate that Ancestry had digitized from our collection.



Did you know that Delaware residents can now use their Delaware Library Card to log in to the Delaware page on Ancestry.com? By using your card you can have free access ONLY to the records Ancestry has digitized for the Delaware Public Archives. These records include Births up to 1908, Marriages up to 1933, Deaths up to 1933, and Naturalizations from 1796-1850. Coming soon will be Land Records from 1677-1947, and Will Books from 1683-1947.  For more information view our instructions on the Digital Ancestry page on our website.

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The Storm of March 1962

March 2nd, 2012
Rehoboth damage March 1962

Rehoboth damage March 1962

The Delaware Public Archives is commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, a powerful Northeaster that affected the mid-Atlantic March 6th – 8th, with a virtual exhibit.

Among DPA’s holdings are many incredible historical documents, photographs and films that tell of tragedy and the perseverance of Delawareans to restore the state to its pre-storm condition. The mighty storm brought waves in excess of 40 feet that damaged property along Delaware’s Atlantic and Delaware Bay coasts. Post-storm aerial films  recoded by the State Police Commission survey the destruction of beaches, homes, businesses, roadways, and extensive inland flooding.

The Governor’s Papers Collection from 1962 includes telegram correspondence with President John F. Kennedy. In these documents, Governor Carvel describes the aftermath of the storm and requests that the President not only declare emergency status along the Delaware coast from Fenwick Island to Delaware City, but also 5 miles inland. Carvel estimates the cost of damage in Delaware to be $50 million (approximately $357 million today). Governor Carvel’s papers further detail the combined effort of local groups, government agencies and federal manpower in cleanup efforts through letters, financial documents and memos.

Photographs featured on the official Public Archives Facebook page  show the extreme damage of the storm in detail. Battered homes lifted off their foundations and precariously tipped toward washed out beaches. Images of the Rehoboth Boardwalk ripped apart; its planks piled up like toothpicks against the businesses that once lined the popular summer attraction. Additionally, newspaper articles and photographs in our collection further report on the aftermath with breaking news and before and after photos.

Explore one of the greatest storms ever to hit the mid-Atlantic from your computer and come in to see even more fantastic pieces of history here at the Delaware Public Archives.




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What Really Happened to Amelia Earhart?

February 24th, 2012

On Saturday, March 3, 10:30 a.m., Richard E. Gillespie, Executive Director of TIGHAR (The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery), based in Wilmington, Delaware, will be presenting a program at the Delaware Public Archives entitled “What Really Happened to Amelia Earhart?”  2012 marks the 75th anniversary of her disappearance. In 1937, Amelia Earhart set out to be the first person to circle the globe by air in the area close to the equator. On July 2, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan failed to arrive as planned on Howland Island in the Central Pacific.  Since that time, their disappearance has become one of the most baffling mysteries of the 20th century.   At the time of her disappearance, Amelia Earhart was arguably the most famous woman of her generation and is, even today, certainly the most well-known woman aviator of all time.  It is known that Amelia Earhart made at least one stop in Delaware, in March 1929, to consider purchasing a plane from the Bellanca Company based near the town of New Castle.

 This program will reveal the findings this non-profit group has uncovered since it inaugurated the Earhart Project in 1988. The group is dedicated to investigating the Earhart/Noonan disappearance according to accepted academic standards and sound scientific methodology.

The presenter, Richard E. Gillespie, founded The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery in 1985 and has served as the Executive Director of TIGHAR since its inception.  A former accident investigator and risk manager for the aviation insurance industry, Gillespie is the author of the book, Finding Amelia – The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance. 

 


 


 

Pilots Elinor Smith, George Haldeman, and Amelia Earhart at the Bellanca Airfield in New Castle beside a Bellanca CH-300 Airplane. Smith set the 1929 solo endurance record for women, and Haldeman was the pilot for the first nonstop flight from New York to Cuba in 1929. Both feats were accomplished in a Bellanca CH-300 Airplane. Earhart visited the Bellanca Airfield in March 1929 to consider buying a Bellanca Airplane.




The program is free to the public.  No reservations are required.  For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@state.de.us. 


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The African-American Educational Journey In Delaware

February 2nd, 2012
Townsend School May 1951

Townsend School May 1951

Today Governor Markell was here at the archives to commemorate Black History Month by reading the official proclamation.  This year was particularly special as Orlando Camp was here to talk about his new book The Milford Eleven.  The Archives unveiled its newest display about African-American education in Delaware.  Included in the exhibit are facsimiles of historic legislation, educational directories, school insurance evaluations, information on the Delaware schools that were involved with the Brown Vs. the Board of Education court case, information on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s only visit to Delaware, and lots of photographs.

Why not come and see the exhibit and then stop by the Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room to see what other information we have.

To put a hold on a copy of Orlando’s new book, visit the Delaware library catalog or your local library.

To learn more about African American history in Delaware you can download 3 free eBooks.

To see more photographs, visit the album on our Facebook page.

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The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II

January 27th, 2012

             On Saturday, February 4, 10:30 a.m., the Delaware Public Archives, in one of its planned activities to celebrate Black History Month, is hosting a program entitled “The Tuskegee Airmen.”  During the Second World War, a question was raised and answered conclusively in a noble experiment that later became known as the “Tuskegee Experience.” Our nation’s first African-American military aviators, the Tuskegee Airmen, are remembered in this presentation designed to tell their story and reveal the significance of their achievements. Presented by Brigadier General Ernest George Talbert (Retired, USAF), this program will also include information about the achievements of other African-American warriors and civilian aviators who preceded the “Tuskegee Experience.”

            Brigadier General Ernest George Talbert (Retired, USAF) is the first African-American general in the long history of the Delaware National Guard.  He is the immediate past president of the John H. Porter, First State Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. General Talbert is a Command Pilot with over 6500 flying hours including combat hours in Operation Desert Storm and the Balkans conflict. Upon his retirement in January 2009 he accepted a state promotion to the rank of Major General.   A product of the Delaware public school system, he received a B.A. in Economics from New York University in 1972 and an MBA from the University of Delaware in 1983.

The program is free to the public.  No reservations are required.  For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@state.de.us. 

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