Admission: $10.00

Join Historic Lewes in commemorating the American Revolution in our community 250 years later, stepping back into the critical autumn of 1776.  As the hardworking inhabitants of this waterfront community gathered in their meeting places and around the posted broadsides, news was dire: George Washington’s army had suffered a string of defeats and was in retreat.  The year that had begun so favorably with the British evacuation of Boston and July’s Declaration of Independence now looked decidedly more grim.

It was, as Thomas Paine put it, The American Crisis.

And yet, life had to continue.  Even as letters from loved ones at the front trickled in, as British warships stalked the Delaware Bay and Loyalist revolt festered inland, Lewistowners scratched for normalcy. The harvest had been good, a thing to be celebrated even as Lewes braced for a long, cold winter ahead.

Visitors to the Historic Lewes Town Campus on October 17th and 18th will step into the swirl of activity Lewestowners experienced in the Fall of 1776.  Talk to the inhabitants of this strategic port on Delaware Bay as they demonstrate historical activities, come to grips with current events, and do their best to celebrate a successful harvest, even in trying times.  Enjoy live music, shop with historically-inspired vendors in our market, watch soldiers prepare for war, see a blacksmith and other tradespeople hard at work, enjoy a kid-centered Punch and Judy puppet show, be amazed by the optical wonders of the Camera Obscura and marvel at the high-flying hot air balloon…and brace yourself for the Crucial Days of Revolution yet to come!

Period-inspired food and drink will be available onsite throughout the weekend.  Admission to this fan-favorite living history event is $10.00 per person (Youth 12 and Under are Free!), the proceeds of which support the ongoing efforts of Historic Lewes to keep history happening in our community.