Public Archives to celebrate 375th anniversary of the landing of Swedes in Delaware
The year 2013 commemorates the 375th anniversary of the landing in Delaware of the Swedish ship Kalmar Nyckel. At 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 6, the Delaware Public Archives will honor the First State’s rich Swedish heritage with a program celebrating the arrival of Swedes in Delaware.
Presented by Bill Hutchison, education coordinator for the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, this program will focus on the voyage of the ship to America in 1638 and the founding of the colony of New Sweden on the Delaware. This was the first permanent European settlement established in Delaware and in the area that would become the City of Wilmington. Among the topics to be discussed will be the colonists’ time at sea and their lives at the New Sweden settlement known as Fort Christina.
Hutchison has served as a volunteer crew member on the ship since 2003. A retired educator, Hutchison was a social studies teacher and administrator in the Capital School District for 35 years. He was the district’s Teacher of the Year in 1989. In addition, Hutchison has been an instructor at Delaware State University, Wilmington University and the University of Delaware. A Vietnam veteran and lifelong resident of Delaware, Hutchison received his BA in history from Salisbury University and his MA in education from the University of Delaware.
The program is free to the public. No reservations are required. For more information, contact Tom Summers 302-744-5047, email thomas.summers@state.de.us or go to archives.delaware.gov.
