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While indexing the Vietnam Mailbag Records, we came across this image from June 1971 of 1st Lt. Robert Nowaczyk of Claymont and a Sika deer. A deer in Vietnam? Why, yes! Sika deer lived throughout eastern Asia as far south as Vietnam and as far north as Russia. Not only is this image a special […]

  George Luther Caley was a well-known genealogist, author, local historian and an avid postcard collector. During his lifetime, George supported many causes to preserve and share history on the Delmarva Peninsula. He and his wife, Irene, were Friends and volunteers at the Delaware Public Archives. When George passed away in 2005, the future of […]

A proclamation signed by President Obama yesterday designated three sites in Delaware as a National Monument. The Dover Green, New Castle County Court House Complex and Woodlawn, a scenic tract of land east of the Brandywine River and north of Brandywine Creek State Park, make up The First State’s first National Monument.  The President designated […]

On Wednesday, February 27, Governor Jack Markell presented the Governor’s Heritage Award to former Delaware Supreme Court Justice and Secretary of State William T. Quillen at a ceremony at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. The Governor’s Heritage Award is given to those Delawareans who have contributed significantly to the recognition, preservation, and celebration of Delaware’s […]

Next Tuesday we will swear in another Governor which means the Archives is getting the Official State Bible ready.  The Bible is from 1532 and its origin is undocumented, however, legend says it was a gift to Delaware from France. The Bible was printed in Paris by Robert Stephens(Stepheni). It was part of the State […]

Did you know that it is the 200th anniversary of Return Day? We had some curious folks from New Castle County stop in to see what all the hubbub was about.  They looked at photographs , and at our newspaper clipping file. They also saw the 1811 legislative petitions from each county asking for election […]

Tis the season for creepy tales and here’s one right from our holdings. This is a statement collected from concerned citizens of the Mispillion Hundred in the 18th century regarding the mistreatment of the skull of a gentleman who had died approximately 15 years earlier. According to this record, the perpetrator dug it up and allowed his […]

Did you know that Monday was “Delaware Day” at the Antietam Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland?  Antietam is remembered as the bloodiest one-day battle of the American Civil War and many of the Delaware troops present were involved in some of the most terrible parts of the battle. The Delaware Heritage Commission and the Delaware Public Archives, along with […]

We posted a wedding album on our Facebook page. It had been up for about 5 minutes when a man called to tell us that he recognized a face. He is originally from Jersey City, NJ and in one of the pictures was his boss when he was 13 years old. He worked at Neibanck’s […]

Actually there have been five lighthouses at Port Mahon to guide ships and waterman on the Delaware Bay.  The first was built in 1831 and because of erosion, a series of replacements were built.  The last lighthouse was built in 1903 and lasted until 1984.  Recently processed, the Delaware Technical and Community College Photograph Collection […]