Ag Museum documents find new home at Delaware Public Archives

During the past year, the Delaware Agricultural Museum has been working with staff at the Delaware Public Archives to transfer a series of documents and photographs to the Archives in order to make the records more accessible to the public and provide the professional staffing necessary to protect the integrity of the collection.

Among the items now housed at DPA are private farm and business records, grange records, recorded oral histories, and agriculture-related publications and ephemera. The transfer also features more than 3,700 photographs documenting the history of agriculture in the First State.

Delaware Agricultural Museum Director Di Rafter said, “With these materials now at the Delaware Public Archives, people will be able to examine and review these records during the regular hours the Archives research room is open.  Because of staff limitations at the museum, the materials didn’t have the availability to the public that they currently enjoy at the Archives.”

State Archivist and DPA Director Stephen Marz said, "The First State has a rich agricultural history, and these records will complement related agricultural collections that are already housed at the Delaware Public Archives.  We hope the public takes advantage of this new arrangement and comes in to explore and investigate these documents and photographs.  In the future, we’re looking forward to placing many of these items online, thus widening their access.”

The Delaware Public Archives is at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North in Dover. The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is open to the public 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday to Friday. On the second Saturday of every month, the research room is open from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

For more information about the Delaware Public Archives, go to archives.delaware.gov.