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For centuries, Delaware has grown, produced, and brewed foods and drinks that have traveled across the country and around the world. But where do these goods come from and who are the people, past and present, that have made this possible? Through programs and lectures, History Revival: Food and Drink Across Delmarva will connect the public to the rich history of agriculture on the Delmarva peninsula, and the unique goods that have graced Delawareans’ tables for centuries.
History Revival is an educational series that is a collaborative effort of the Zwaanendael Museum and Lewes Public Library.
All events are free and held at the Lewes Public Library (111 Adams Avenue, Lewes) unless indicated otherwise. Registration is required and each individual attending must register.
Join us in-person at the library or online for a presentation by Dr. Christiane Warren, Executive Director of the Delaware Agricultural Museum. She will give an overview of the recently opened exhibition on Produce & Food, held in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute. Dr. Warren also will provide a review of the history of the Dairy industry in Delaware in advance of the museum’s upcoming exhibit “Dairying in Delaware.”
The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village represents Delaware’s largest and most important industry. Through their exhibits and programs, the Museum strives to increase public awareness and appreciation for both the history and the future of this vital sector of Delaware’s market economy. Open since 1980, their mission is to “Promote agricultural education, awareness and an appreciation for cultural heritage, enriching the lives of the people in our community, our state and beyond our borders.”
Join us in-person at the library or online for a presentation by Mark Wilson from the Zwaanendael Museum. From the Revolutionary War to WWII, this program will outline the history of foods consumed by military personnel throughout Delaware’s history.
Mark Wilson is the Lead Interpreter at Zwaanendael Museum. His focuses at the museum include educational programming, researching local topics such as Lewes and maritime history, and working closely with part-time staff.
Joanne Kurz Guilfoil and Barbra Slavin will give a visual review of the 100-year history of the chicken industry-including great stories, a precise procedure for building a chicken farm, introduction to some outstanding/award winning chicken farmers, a look at the fanciers and breeds shown at the Delaware State Fair, and finally the kids: FAA and 4H clubs…with their birds.
Joanne Kurz Guilfoil is a retired art educator and longtime chicken keeper. Joanne has raised and kept chickens as pets her entire life, except for the year she lived in Akiak, Alaska, teaching and doing research in a one-room Eskimo village school. She practiced the ethnographic method of field research as part of her doctoral studies at the University of Oregon. But even while attending graduate school classes and teaching, she kept chickens. Her book, Chickens on Delmarva, is much more to Joanne than just a history of the broiler industry and growers on the Peninsula. It’s also a joyful personal journey of self-discovery.
Barbra Slavin, Director of Historic Ocean View, which collects, preserves, interprets, and celebrates the history of Ocean View, Delaware, and the surrounding area of Baltimore Hundred. They strive to meet the challenges of 21st Century coastal living by understanding and embracing the area’s rich heritage.
The unique relationship between African Americans and the Chesapeake Bay contains an abundance of untold stories, as told in the documentary, Water’s Edge: Black Watermen of the Chesapeake. Join us for a screening of the film with a discussion afterwards with the film’s director, Alexis Aggrey.
Mid-nineteenth century Maryland offered pseudo-freedom to Black Americans who lived and worked on the water. Between 1790 and 1860, the population of free Blacks grew tremendously; some 58% of the Black population was free. This was the largest population of free Black Americans in the entire United States, and watermen were central to the success of these communities. In Maryland, the tradition of seafood fed millions and offered an opportunity for innovation that extended to both the free and enslaved. Water’s Edge: Black Watermen of the Chesapeake chronicles unsung Marylanders who revolutionized an industry, dreamed beyond their circumstance and are still keeping this tradition alive today.
Alexis Aggrey is an Emmy award winning director/producer who has worked with public television, cable, and museum clients for more than 15 years, creating documentary content that educates and inspires.
Historic farms and waterways crisscross Southern Delaware, connecting its residents to a set of rich culinary traditions. The original Nanticoke inhabitants baked hearty johnnycakes and hunted wild game. Hungry for a taste of home, German settlers developed scrapple from local ingredients. Today’s home cooks and chefs draw their bounty from the land and sea for a distinct, seasonal cuisine. With recipes for regional favorites like beach plum jelly and chicken with slippery dumplings, author Denise Clemons will explore the diverse history of food in Southern Delaware.
Denise Clemons holds a bachelor of arts degree in biopsychology from Vassar College and a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. She spent the early years of her career as an executive in the technology industry, then turned to the nonprofit arena, focusing on museums. She serves on the boards of trustees for the Rehoboth Art League and the Lewes Historical Society. She is past regent of the Col. David Hall Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and serves the society at the state and national levels. Clemons has written a weekly food column for the Cape Gazette newspaper since 2005, and her award-winning book, A Culinary History of Southern Delaware, was published by the History Press. She has published fiction, nonfiction and poetry in journals, chapbooks and anthologies. She conducts writing workshops, cooking demonstrations and history lectures across the region.
Marcos Salaverria from the Lewes Historical Society will discuss the history of drinks and drinking in Lewes, Delaware. Topics include coffee and tea in Lewes, as well as meeting places and taverns once in the area and the drinks they served.
Marcos Salaverria is the Director of Education at the Lewes Historical Society, which promotes and advocates the preservation, interpretation and cultural enrichment of the Lewes region, through museum exhibits, educational programs, historical research and publications.
History Revival: Food and Drink Across Delmarva has been made possible in part by Delaware Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.