16th annual Chautauqua tent show to take place June 15-19 in Lewes

The impact of the American Civil War on the Delaware home front and on the more than 13,000 Delawareans who fought in the bloody conflict will be brought to life during Delaware’s 16th annual Chautauqua tent show, With Malice Toward None… Delaware Life During the Civil War.

The 2014 Chautauqua will take place at a variety of downtown Lewes locations Sunday to Thursday, June 15 to 19.

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 302-645-1148. Visit www.history.delaware.gov for a preliminary schedule of events.

A unique mixture of education and entertainment, Lewes’ Chautauqua will be held under a large tent and will feature re-enactors who take on the personas of celebrated historical figures, educating and entertaining audiences as they bring the past to life.

Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and interact with the featured characters who will include abolitionist and Union spy Harriet Tubman; Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross Clara Barton; President Abraham Lincoln; poet and Civil War nurse Walt Whitman; and Delawarean James Elbert from Polktown, who enlisted in the United States Colored Troops.

Delaware’s 2014 Chautauqua tent show is being cosponsored by the Lewes Historical Society and the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, with major financial support from the Delaware Heritage Commission, the Delaware Humanities Forum, Delmarva Power and Sussex County Council under the auspices of Councilwoman Joan Deaver.

The Lewes Historical Society is committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation and cultural enrichment of Lewes.