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MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES 7
Delaware State
Police Museum
302-739-7700
www.delawaretrooper.com
1425 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover
Open: Monday–Friday 9am–3pm;
Third Saturday of each month 11am–2:45pm
The exhibit explores changes in
the crime-fighting techniques and technology of the Delaware State Police from 1923 to the present. You can see uniforms, firearms, a 1946 Ford patrol car, two antique Harley Davidson motorcycles, a crime scene where visitors look for clues, and a 911 emergency call center.
First State Heritage
Park at Dover
302-739-9194
www.destateparks.com/ heritagepark
Delaware Division of Parks and Rec., 102 S. State St., Dover
Open: Monday–Friday 8am–4:30pm
This “park without boundaries” links historical and cultural sites in the capital city. Self-guided audio walking tours of nearly 30 sites located in Dover’s historic district are available. Park has a welcome center and a Walking Tour of the Dover Green led by historic guides dressed in period costumes.
The Biggs Museum of American Art 302-674-2111 biggsmuseum.org
406 Federal St., Dover
Open: Tuesday–Saturday 9am–4:30pm and Sunday 1:30pm–4:30pm
This independent, non-profit museum with an outstanding collection of 18th through 21st- century Delaware and American art is housed in the State Visitors’ Center.
Delaware Public Archives
302-744-5000
archives.delaware.gov
121 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. N., Dover
Open: Monday–Friday 8:30am–4pm and 1st Saturday 1pm–4pm
One of the finest state archival exhibitions in the country. The archives was renovated and expanded in 2001 and contains materials from the 17th-century to today.
First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries 121 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. N., Dover
Open: Monday–Friday 8am–4:30pm and Saturday 9am–4:30pm
The center provides information on local and statewide attractions, events, and activities with two galleries of exhibits that change regularly.
John Bell House
Open: Monday–Saturday 9am–4:30pm
The oldest wooden structure on The Green serves as the interpretive center for the First State Heritage Park, where visitors can learn about the history of Dover and take thematic walking tours around Dover’s historic Green.
Legislative Hall: The State Capitol
Tours: 302-739-9194
Open for visitors: Monday–Friday 10am–1pm
Closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Group Tours require advance scheduling
This Georgian-style structure that has been home to Delaware’s General Assembly since 1933.
Museum Square
Johnson Victrola Museum
Open: Wednesday–Saturday 9am–4:30pm and by appointment for groups
Displaying sound recording industry items dating from the 1890s through 1929. The museum honors Eldridge Reeves Johnson of Dover who founded the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901.
The Old State House Museum
Open: Monday–Saturday 9am–4:30pm and Sunday 1:30pm–4:30pm
Delaware’s first permanent capitol building completed in 1791 on Dover’s historic Green. The State House was the home of Delaware’s General Assembly until 1933.
Woodburn/Hall House
Tours: 302-739-5656
Open: Tours 10am–1pm on the first Saturday of each month with Tours at other times available by appointment
Woodburn, the home of Delaware’s governors since 1965, was built around 1798. Next-door is the Victorian-era Hall House, which serves as the Governor’s guesthouse.
Golden Fleece Tavern (Historical Marker)
302-674-1776
www.thegoldenfleecetavern.com
132 W. Loockerman St., Dover
No Set Hours Outdoors
The Golden Fleece Tavern was the scene of some of the most important and dramatic events in Delaware history. Built in the 1730s, it was here that on December 7, 1787, Delaware delegates ratified the U.S. Constitution, making Delaware “The First State” to do so.
Harrington Museum and Railroad Museum
302-398-3698
108 and 110 Fleming St., Harrington
By Appointment
The Harrington Museum is housed in two buildings, one of which is an 18th-century Episcopal Church with a wonderful stained glass rose window. One of the curiosities at the museum is a glass hearse carriage, circa 1800, with a display of funeral attire. The museum exhibits tell stories about harness racing, the local fire company, military veterans, traveling salesmen, and rural home life.
The Harrington Railroad Museum includes a 1926 Pennsylvania Railroad caboose that visitors walk through to see how the train crews lived and the tools that they used on the job. Visitors can also see
a watchman’s tower with track switching equipment, lanterns, old phones, and a “message stick,” used to grab messages off poles as the train sped along. The tower is one of the few remaining on Delmarva. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
John Dickinson Plantation
302-739-3277
340 Kitts Hummock Rd., Dover
Open: Wednesday–Saturday 10am–3:30pm Closed State Holidays
The plantation includes a
brick mansion, reconstructed outbuildings, and a slave/tenant house, stands as a memorial to John Dickinson, the “Penman of the American Revolution.”
2019
MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES