Delaware Public Archives (DPA) logo



 Posts & Pages Tagged With: "World War II"

2024 – Second Quarter Accessions

The Accessions Committee met on May 8, 2024, to review proposed accessions. New accessions include correspondence from World War II, photographs of the New Castle County Paramedic Unit, and a scrapbook of the Washington Memorial Bridge dedication ceremony.



Milton Theatre

The Fox Theatre, built ca. 1914 and opened in 1919, was an Art Deco movie house featuring silent films and later sound pictures. During World War II, the theater was used for fundraising efforts and sold war bonds and stamps, and collected vinyl records to send to troops. The two-story building has also served as […]



War Beneath the Waves: U.S. Submarine Operations in World War II

On Saturday, January 4, 10:30 a.m., President Robert Clark of Wesley College will speak at the Delaware Public Archives on the role of Submarine Operations during World War II.



Civil Air Patrol – Coastal Patrol Base Two

SC-205: Established in the opening days of World War II, the Civil Air Patrol was organized to provide civilian assistance with a variety of military activities including Coastal Defense. Utilizing privately-owned light aircraft, these citizen volunteers patrolled Atlantic waters in search of German submarines and their victims. Some of these planes were subsequently armed. A […]



Forty & Eight Boxcar

This car is one of 49 given to the American people by the citizens of France in thanks for aid rendered during and after World War II. Utilized for hauling military cargo during two world wars, they were known for their complement of “forty men – eight horses.” The “Merci” or Gratitude Train was assembled […]



Immigrant Jewish Farmers

Delaware’s first Jewish farmers, Isaac and Ida Benioff, settled here in 1897. Like those to follow, they were recent immigrants fleeing poverty and oppression in their native Russia. Between 1912 and 1929, the Jewish Agriculture Society, based in New York City, provided loans to the Benioffs and other Jewish farmers who moved to Kent County […]



Beebe Hospital

In 1916, two brothers, Drs. James Beebe, Sr. and Richard C. Beebe, had a shared vision to bring modern-day medicine to Sussex County. The Beebe brothers started the first private hospital outside the city of Wilmington on Savannah Road in Lewes. The hospital began as a small, four-room hospital with an operating room and two […]



Hangar 1301

KC-68: Constructed in 1944, Hangar 1301 served as the headquarters and engineering facility for the 4146th Base Unit from 1944 to 1946. Highly secret testing and development work was done here on air-launched rocket weapons. Aircraft used in testing ranged from P-47 Thunderbolts to four-engine bombers including B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators. Even single […]



Delaware State Fair

KC-51: In 1919 local residents held several meetings to discuss the establishment of a fair. On January 12, 1920, the Kent and Sussex County Fair Association was organized for the purposes of “promoting and encouraging agriculture” and “giving pleasures and diversions to the inhabitants of rural communities.” The first fair was held in July, 1920. […]



Fort DuPont

This fort was originally established in 1863 as the Ten Gun Battery opposite Fort Delaware. In 1897 construction began on concrete gun batteries armed with long-range rifles, rapid-fire rifles and mortars. The fort was renamed in honor of Rear Admiral Samuel F. DuPont, U.S. Navy, for his distinguished service in 1899. During World War II […]