Zwaanendael to host program on ice harvesting
The Zwaanendael Museum, at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes, will host the program Cooling Down the Town: The Ice Industry in the 19th and 20th Centuries, which focuses on the harvesting, storage, delivery and use of ice as a coolant before the advent of refrigeration. This family-friendly day of activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 15, and will feature video footage of ice harvesting, slideshow images, tools of the trade, demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Admission to the event is free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-645-1148.
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. Designed by E. William Martin, architect of Legislative Hall and the Hall of Records in Dover, the museum is modeled after the town hall in Hoorn, the Netherlands, and features a stepped facade gable with carved stonework and decorated shutters.
Zwaanendael Museum exhibits and presentations provide a showcase for Lewes-area maritime, military and social history. Current exhibits include Maritime History on the Delaware, which explores more than 11,000 years of Lewes history and culture supported by an array of artifacts, maps, sketches, lithographs and photographs; and Rediscovery Through Recovery, which displays artifacts from the Roosevelt Inlet shipwreck.
The Zwaanendael Museum is administered by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, an agency of the state of Delaware. The division enhances Delaware’s quality of life by preserving the state’s unique historical heritage, fostering community stability and economic vitality, and providing educational programs and assistance to the general public on Delaware history and heritage.
The division’s diverse array of services includes administration of the state’s historic preservation office, operation of museums and a conference center, and management of historic properties across Delaware. Primary funding for the agency’s programs and services is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Park Service, a federal agency.
