Orders for the District of Delaware and Eastern Shore of Maryland from President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary Seward. Image Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives
New Castle County Reads 2013 has selected the book March by Geraldine Brooks at its feature title for discussions and programming in 2013. The north is reeling under a series of unexpected defeats during the darkest days of the Civil War in this extraordinary novel, as Mr. March leaves his family to aid the Union cause. The author tells the story of the absent father going off to war and the reopening of past relationships in the process.
To support New Castle County Reads 2013, the library system is hosting a number of Civil War themed programs this spring. On April 7th, at the Bear Branch Library, I will be talking about the Mason and Dixon Line and the Civil War and the C & D Canal and the War. These programs are supported by the Delaware Humanities Forum.
When I did the talk about the C & D Canal and the Civil War at the New Castle Public Library on March 27th, we had an informed, lively discussion. Members of the Delaware Civil War Roundtable and Friends of Fort Delaware were there. During the evening we talked about a number of seldom used sources that serve as evidentiary traces for exploring the old canal’s important role in the war. There is a lot to this story that hasn’t been investigated and it was an enjoyable evening discussing matters with this group.
Storm clouds over the C & D Canal and the replica of the Bethel Lighthouse in the summer of 2012.
This lecture offers an intriguing look at the evolution of crime, punishment, and police work in Delaware from the colonial era to the mid-twentieth century. The fast-paced program examines old county jails, headline-grabbing criminal escapades of long ago, discontinued methods of punishment, and unheralded peace officers.
The Georgetown group has a particular interest in Delaware’s whipping post, so we will spend some time examining that subject. The goal of the program is to look at how crime and policing methods have changed by using any little-known stories of this often unexplored aspect of history.
The museum is located at 510 South Bedford Street in Georgetown.
My Wilmington University Delaware History class visited the New Castle Court House Museum for a practical learning opportunity offered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs Tuesday evening. For over an hour and a half our knowledgeable docent, Brian, guided us through centuries of Delaware’s colonial and pre-Civil War history. We heard about the contact period, initial settlement patterns, the evolution of law and government, the Underground Railroad and some major trials in the old courthouse during those quickly passing minutes
This was a great, engaging way to present applied lessons for a group examining Delaware’s history this semester. Flawlessly Brian linked the history and culture of the place that was once the capital of the State to our studies of the past. He was an excellent facilitator and explained some complicated matters in an engaging ways that related to the audience.
The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs always provides excellent programming. Each time I attend one of their events I leave impressed and my class departs with more understanding of First State heritage. They know how to present relevant and engaging history lessons and these instructive programs are lively.
We have such valuable and supportive resources nearby for those of studying the past in the First State. Thank you Brian and Old Court House Museum.
An early 20th century traveling library from the Delaware State Library Commission in the Corbit-Calloway collection
If you are researching local or family history on the Delmarva Peninsula, there are many fine libraries from Wilmington down to Accomac, VA. that can help. Some are large, university affiliated repositories, while others are non-profit, stand-alone institutions located in some of region’s small towns. As I travel from one end of Delmarva to the other using these resources, I will highlight a few of the smaller collections that help individuals piecing together puzzles from the past.
The National Historic Register town of Odessa, a community of about 300 people, has the Corbit-Calloway Memorial Library. Established in 1847, it is the oldest free lending institution in Delaware. Tucked away in one room of the facility and spilling out into the main stacks and basement where it fills more shelves and file cabinets, patrons find the A. Leslie Calloway Del-Mar-Va Collection. This large cluster of local history materials was created through money bequeathed by Mrs. Calloway in 1993 specifically to document the cultural heritage of the Delmarva Peninsula. It’s a particularly strong array, featuring more than 9,000 books, maps, postcards, ephemera, broadsides, and other artifacts.
Anyone doing research on Delaware and Eastern Shore families, businesses, churches, schools, communities, or organizations will find plenty of material here to help. These holdings attract a variety of people including those researching family roots, working on school papers or investigating something in the community. And there are plenty of treasurers here you won’t find online.
Situated in the idyllic village of Odessa, Corbit-Calloway’s collection is a place to go for its volumes, serials, and manuscripts densely packed with narratives about Delmarva’s heritage. Plus the helpful staff goes out-of-the-way to assist patrons using the holdings, searching the World Wide Web, and pinpointing places for added work.
So if you need issues of the Middletown Transcript from years ago, practically any published Delaware history, serials from the Maryland or Delaware Historical Societies, postcards and much more, you should check out this place as there are an astonishing variety of materials there that will help anyone puzzling together some aspect of earlier times. While the strong collection is important, you will also find an excellent small town library staff that routinely provides superior patron services to every patron walking in the door.
