Fall Harvest Fair, 1774: The Last Year of Peace
In the autumn of 1774, the British flag still flew over Lewes and a portrait of King George III still hung in the courthouse, but tensions between the Empire and her Delawarean colonists were approaching a breaking point. As Lewistowners went about their yearly tasks to bring in the harvest and prepare for the long, cold winter ahead, the threat of war was hard to ignore. Though far away from Massachusetts Bay Colony, the ripples of the Boston Tea Party and the so-called “Intolerable Acts” closing the port, dismantling their elected government, and dispatching red-coated troops to enforce martial law were felt along Lewes’ wharves, alleys, and market stalls. Many in the streets, tavern rooms, and in their bed chambers whisper in anticipation and anxiety that 1774 could be The Last Year of Peace.
Guests visiting Historic Lewes’ Campus will step back into those final, tense months of 1774 to engage with history first-hand. Throughout the weekend, they will have the opportunity to meet with the inhabitants of colonial Lewistown as they demonstrate historical activities, come to grips with current events, and celebrate a successful harvest that capped a year of growth and prosperity for their community, even in trying times. Enjoy live music, watch soldiers drill and fire their muskets, have your silhouette drawn, shop for historically-inspired keepsakes, take in a show with 18th century entertainers…and brace yourselves for the years of Revolution to come!