Zwaanendael Museum to spotlight shipwrecks, seafaring and whaling in September
During the month of September, the Zwaanendael Museum at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes will shine a spotlight on southern Delaware’s unique maritime history with a series of programs that explore local shipwrecks, seafaring traditions and the area’s early whaling industry. For more information, call 302-645-1148.
Lectures and tours of the remains of His Majesty’s Sloop DeBraak, which was capsized and lost off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798, will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Mondays, Sept. 10, 17, 24 and Oct. 1. The program begins at the Zwaanendael Museum and includes a trip to the DeBraak hull facility in nearby Cape Henlopen State Park for an interpreter-led tour of the ship’s remains. Limited seating. Admission is $10 in advance by reservation only at http://history.delaware.gov.
From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15, historical interpreter and artist Sharyn Murray will demonstrate the stipple technique used to draw artifacts from the Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck, a British commercial ship that sank off Lewes in the late 18th century. Free admission.
At 3 p.m., Friday, Sept. 21, “Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of … .” The Fun Friday Oktoberfest program will explore beer, grog, rum and other beverages and foods that sustained sailors on their long voyages. Museum open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free admission.
At 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, “A Whale of a Tale, Part One” will explore the whaling industry’s relationship to the first settlement in the First State by the Dutch in 1631. Museum open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free admission.
The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the state's first European colony, Swanendael, established by the Dutch along Hoorn Kill (present-day Lewes-Rehoboth Canal) in 1631. The museum’s exhibits and presentations provide a showcase for Lewes-area maritime, military and social history.
The Zwaanendael Museum is administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, an agency of the state of Delaware. Primary funding for division programs and services is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Park Service, a federal agency.
