Category: Programs

Mason-Dixon Line Talk is Available Through Delaware Humanities

Mason-Dixon Line southwest corner of Delaware
A Mason-Dixon marker at the southwest corner of Delaware (Source: Delaware Public Archives)

I am pleased to announce that Delaware Humanities has selected my new talk, “The Mason-Dixon Line: An Enduring Boundary in American History,” for inclusion in the 2024-25 Speakers Bureau and Visiting Scholars program. This lecture delves into the fascinating and complex history of the Mason-Dixon Line—an enduring boundary that is deeply etched into the American landscape and our nation’s collective memory.

In this talk, I explore the original story of the Mason-Dixon Line, which began as a survey aimed at resolving a contentious territorial dispute over royal land grants. From there, we examine how the line’s significance has evolved over time and its lasting influence on popular culture.

The Delaware Humanities Speakers Program provides scholars who engage with community groups, organizations, libraries, and K-12 classrooms throughout the state. These program presents an opportunity for those with expertise in various humanities-centered fields to bring enriching and informative presentations to local audiences.

Presentations are offered in two formats:

  1. Speakers Bureau Presentations – designed for public audiences.
  2. Visiting Scholars Presentations – tailored specifically for elementary and secondary school students.

If you want to book this engaging talk through the Humanities, click this link for more information.

Temperance & Prohibition Talk at Court House Museum

beer parade detroit
1932 beer parade in Detroit, Michigan (Detroit News Photo, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University)

I am pleased to speak at the New Castle Court House Museum on August 6, 2024, at 7 p.m. about the history of temperance and prohibition. 

The talk, part of the museum’s annual “History Revival” summer series, examines the historical attempts to regulate alcohol consumption over the centuries, with an emphasis on Prohibition. During the lecture, we will delve into compelling stories of rumrunners, moonshiners, bathtub gin, Coast Guard rum patrols, and the intriguing personalities that emerged during this era. We will also navigate the intricate landscape of Garden State politics, organized crime, and the influential role of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union.

“Pass the Rum” is made possible in part by Delaware Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

The “History Revival,” an annual summer program, is sponsored by the New Castle Historial Society and the New Castle Court House Museum, a division of y Delaware Historical and Cultural Affairs .

The program occurs at the Court House, 211 Delaware St., New Castle, DE.

For more information, click this link:

temperance prohibition talk new castle court house museum
Pass the Rum, a temperance and prohibition talk in New Castle.

Trouble on Route 40: A Library Talk

THE HISTORY OF THE ROAD AND ITS CONNECTIONS TO THE COLD WAR, CIVIL RIGHTS, SOVIET UNION & PRES. KENNEDY

THUR., MAY 23, 2024, 6:30 p.m.

CECIL COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY – ELKTON BRANCH

BY MIKE DIXON

After tracing the history of Route 40 over generations, this program discusses how, in the early 1960s, the roadway between Baltimore and the Delaware Memorial Bridge became an unexpected battleground–a place where Cold War tensions, international diplomacy, and the civil rights movement intersected. Along this heavily traveled 63-mile stretch of road through northeastern Maryland and Delaware, powerful forces collided: communist propagandists, Jim Crow segregation, the Kennedy administration, and Freedom Riders. The spotlight fell on this unassuming highway as the Soviet Union and the United States vied for influence in Africa. From its origins to its enduring impact, we explore the road’s significance, shedding light on the complex interplay of unexpected global and domestic forces that shaped its story.

It is a free program, but registration is required for Trouble on Route 40.

Click the link for more information or to register for the program.

Route 40 1958
Route 40 near Elkton in 1958 (Maryland Department of Education)

“Life in the Past Lane: Delaware Roads,” a New Humanities Program

Delaware Road Maps
Delaware Roads Maps (Source: Wilmington Library)

Delaware Humanities has selected a new program I have been researching for inclusion in the speaker’s bureau and visiting scholar programs. The lecture, “Life in the Past Lane; Delaware Roads,” encourages people to get off the highway and enjoy some of the State’s most scenic, cultural and historic roads — along with the surrounding landscape and resources.

Here’s the description of the program:

With the arrival of modern, high-speed highways, many of Delaware’s scenic routes and the small hamlets and villages clustered around those old corridors are overlooked. This talk explores the character, ambiance, and history of some of these lesser-traveled roads today. These historic roadways are much more than just a line on the map. So come along for an enjoyable trip. You will hear intriguing stories about waterfront towns, agricultural communities, and country hamlets and villages, where discovery awaits you.

Come along and find your road in this talk. Along the way, we will explore science byways, old historic corridors, and the connections between the past and today.

A Delaware Road -- between Kirkwood and Tybouts Corner.
Travel was difficult in mid-March 1923 as this automobile travels along. The road connects Kirkwood and Tybouts Corner. (Source: Delaware Public Archives)
In my Merry Oldsmobile, Sheet Music
In My Memory Oldsmobile, by Edward Gus, 1905 (Source: Historic America Sheet Music, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)