Several waves of American immigrants and their descendants have contributed to building the Nation we know today. This great movement of peoples to our shores involved many factors both push and pull, varying in character depending on time and place.

Join Kyle Annerino, an immigration professional who has worked in both government and non-profit, for a presentation exploring the attitudes, groups, policies, and historical events that shaped the U.S. population.

In recognition of International Women's History Month, Join Lewes Historical Society's Assistant Curator, Lucie Allen, who will be presenting a lecture: "Mary E. Hugg: Revolutionary Lewes Business Woman. ''

Through research into wills, probate records, and account books learn how the widow Hugg transformed her family's business into a thriving cultural exchange destination for her Lewestown neighbors, from 1770-1773.

During an era of struggle when "taxation without representation" would become the rallying cry leading to the conflict of the Revolutionary War, Mary was navigating the regular provisioning of international products such as coffee, tea, and chocolate, in addition to fine textiles such as; muslin, calico, and calamanco cloth from destinations as far away as Spain!

Photo - "A Society of Patriotic Ladies at Edenton in North Carolina, 1775. British Museum"

Lighthouses are the sentinels that warn sailors of dangerous shorelines. Lighthouses in the US before the 1850’s were so poorly lit these beacons often lured sailors to dangers rather than offering fair warning. The original lighthouses constructed on US shores in the 18^th and early 19^th centuries were lit with whale oil lamps with simple parabolic mirror reflectors. On a clear night, the visibility could be measured in miles. The situation changed dramatically in Europe when a young French engineer, Augustin Fresnel, designed and manufactured a remarkable new type of lens that could project lighthouse beams more than 20 miles.  These new “Fresnel” lenses were not adopted by the US Lighthouse Service until after a key measurement was made in the Delaware Bay comparing the brightness of the Brandywine Light with a newly installed Fresnel lens to the Cape Henlopen light with its simple parabolic reflector. When the young Naval engineer who performed the experiment showed the US Congress that the new lens also saved considerable whale oil, Fresnel lenses were rapidly deployed on the US coasts with considerable savings in lives and lost cargoes.

Fred Dylla is a physicist with a long interest in the history of science and technology. Before retiring to Lewes in 2015, he was the Executive Director of the American Institute of Physics.

Fred co-moderates the “Science and Society” series at the Lewes Public Library.

Join Alan Jensen, Lewes History Museum Coordinator to find out how railroads transformed the sleepy town of Lewes. Learn about Mr. Benjamin Bradley, a Lewes native who worked as a conductor on the Queen Anne’s railroad for over 30 years. Bradley Lane in downtown Lewes is named in his honor. See for yourself the railroad tracks and Caboose that are still laid out in homage to the railroad that once ran right next to the museum.

Lydia Maria Child was one of the 19th century's most popular American writers and ranks among the most influential of 19th-century American women writers. She was a prominent and influential advocate for the abolition of slavery, and for Native American and Women's Rights.  Carolyn Karcher, Professor Emerita, Temple University, stated that "For half a century, Lydia Maria Child was a household name in the United States.  Hardly a sphere of nineteenth-century life can be found in which Lydia Maria Child did not figure prominently as a pathbreaker."

Join Debra K. Regan, as she provides a facinating look into Lydia Maria Child and her effect on the Republic.

 

While the often-lauded Founding Fathers, including Washington, Jefferson, and Adams may not have visited Lewes, an examination of their letters and papers, reveal other lesser-known Revolutionary, and Federal Era figures such as Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush, and artist Charles Wilson Peale did.  Their experiences while visiting Lewes and interacting with its citizenry are demonstrated in some of their candid expressions, which might surprise the modern-day Lewes resident! 

Join Marcos Salaverria, LHS Director of Education for this engaging presentation.  

Hiram Rodney Burton: The Man Who Does Things

When Lewes locals hear the name Hiram Rodney Burton, they may think of one of the houses that make up the Lewes Historical Society's collection of homes at 110 Shipcarpenter Street. But there is a lot more to the story. Like his campaign slogan when he ran for Congress in the early part of the 20th Century, Hiram Rodney Burton was a man of action and crammed a lot into his life as a local physician, politician, businessman, respected Lewes citizen, bank executive, and more.