Historic Homes E News--August 2012
Join Preservation Delaware and the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs on August 4th and 5th for Preservation 
Weekend. Saturday’s program will feature Ken Darsney, who will speak at 10:30 a.m. about the potential adverse effects of trees and landscaping on historic buildings and sidewalks. Richard Byrne will speak at 1 p.m. on a building’s overall health particularly as it relates to the effects of water. Both lectures will take place in the New Castle Court House Museum in Old New Castle (211 Delaware Street) and include walking tours to point out examples. Saturday’s program will run from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with an hour at noon for lunch on your own. Admission is $20 per person; and free for members of Preservation Delaware. Sunday’s free program on historic districts and Delaware’s Tax credit program will start at 1:30 p.m. Details and registration at Preservation Delaware.
How to use church records to research your family tree is the subject for a program Saturday, August 4 at 10:30 a.m., at the Delaware Public Archives The First State Heritage Park Welcome Center’s number is (302) 744-5055 and it is located at 121 Duke of York Street, Dover DE 19901
Also on August 4, The Old State House, located at 25 The Green, will present "Stories of the Underground Railroad," a program of tours and tales exploring Delaware's connection to the network that transported Southern slaves to freedom in the North and Canada prior to the American Civil War.
In a program exploring some of the greatest inventors in the history of recorded sound, the Johnson Victrola Museum, located at 375 S. New St., will shine a spotlight on Delaware native Eldridge Reeves Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 11, 8:45 and 11:45 p.m. Paranormal Investigations with Delmarva Historic Haunts will investigate some of New Castle's oldest and most legendary buildings..
You'll travel through the three historic buildings and DHH's
mobile lab and participate in an investigation to decide for yourself whether history really "comes alive" at night in these museums! Check out the results of the DHH Amstel House investigation from earlier this year here! These investigations are two-and-a-half hours in length, and are appropriate for ages 12 and up. You will be in darkened rooms with low light levels, and walking on some uneven sidewalks. Please bring a flashlight. Investigations are held rain or shine - please dress appropriately. The investigations begin in the Amstel House backyard at 2 East 4th Street. All tickets are $25 and reservations are required. Please call 302-322-2794 to make reservations. More info here
Town Tours and Village Walks continue in August in Chester County, PA. On August 23 they will return to Oxford’s historic district. Meet the men and women responsible for the founding of the area (in historic dress) including the 2nd oldest library in the state. Make reservations for any Thursday night historic tour and see schedule for more historic area tours here.
The historic Henry Webster Home, a c. 1770 mill owner’s home for sale in Brandywine Hundred, 
Delaware, is now available.The mill remnants still remain in nearby woods along the Shellpot Creek. While the gristmills which supplied Washington's army were located on the swiftly flowing (and sometimes very turbulent) Brandywine Creek, the Shellpot proved a more congenial spot for small millers to locate. In the early 20th Century, the Webster Mill was still extant and part of the Shellpot Amusement Park. This 1880's photo of the mill is from the Delaware Historical Society. More information on the Webster home.
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