HCA and Archaeological Society of Delaware Announce Presenters, Delmarva Archaeology & History Symposium

DOVER, Del. – The Delaware State Historic Preservation Office of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA), in partnership with the Archaeological Society of Delaware (ASD), announces the program for this year’s Delmarva Archaeology and History Symposium, hosted by Historic Lewes.

The annual event showcases a range of historical and archaeological research that brings to light pivotal moments in Delaware’s—and the Nation’s—story, from the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Cooch’s Bridge to the legacy of the United States’ first Black woman lawyer. Additional presentations delve into the histories embedded in locally significant architectural landmarks, the role of photography in informing the historical record, and the power of interdisciplinary research to illuminate the experiences of marginalized communities in nineteenth‑century Delaware.

This event is free and open to the public at the Historic Lewes Maritime Museum, 101 Adams Avenue, in Lewes

Saturday, April 25th, 2026, from 9am-4pm.

For additional information, contact Hannah Lewis at Hannah.Lewis@delaware.gov or call 302-736-7437. The full schedule of events can be found below:

9-9:15 am — Welcome: Gwen Davis (Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer) & John Martin (President of the Archaeological Society of Delaware)

9:15-9:45am — Max Kichline (Archaeologist): Form and Function: A Comparative Minimum Number of Vessels (MNV) Analysis of Ceramics from Select Eighteenth-Century Sites in Delaware

9:45-10:15 am — Sara Downard (Lead Naturalist, Delaware State Parks): Using Interdisciplinary Research to Investigate Marginalized Peoples in 19^th Century Rockland, Delaware

10:30-11am — Dan Griffith (Griffith Archaeology Consulting): Discovery, Recovery, Interpreted Period of Internment and Relatedness – Eleven Unmarked Historic Human Burials at the Avery’s Rest Archaeological Site

11-11:30am — Debra C. Martin (Historic Preservation Planner, City of Wilmington): Will the Real Captain Fountain Please Stand Up? Research on a Delaware Underground Railroad Hero

11:30am-12pm — Brayden Moore (Student, University of Delaware): The Life and Career of Charlotte E. Ray, First Black Woman Lawyer in the United States and Delaware Teacher from 1879-1884

Lunch Break

1:30-2:00pm — Kara Briggs (Architectural Historian): Wallace E. Hance (1889-1943): An Exploration of his Architectural Works in Delaware

2-2:30pm — Wade Catts (Archaeologist, South River Heritage Consulting): “They Positioned Themselves Behind Christiana Creek… Here the 2^nd Light Infantry Came to Aid”: Archaeological Evidence of a Firefight on Cooch’s Bridge Battlefield

2:45-3:15pm — Emily Whaley (Architectural Historian, Laurel Historical Society): Municipal History Through a Historic Lens: How Historic Photographs Can Inform the Historic Record

3:15-3:45pm — Linda Seminario (Archaeologist, Delaware State Parks): Mucking out the Yard: An Investigation of a Nineteenth through Twentieth Century Barn

3:45-4pm — Devon Filicicchia (Site Supervisor, Zwaanandael Museum): Submersed in History: Charting a New Course for Shipwreck Tours of the HMS DeBraak

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About HCA: The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is an agency of the State of Delaware. The division enhances Delaware’s quality of life by preserving the state’s unique historical heritage, fostering community stability and economic vitality, and providing educational programs and assistance to the public on Delaware history. The division’s diverse array of services includes operation of five museums, administration of the State Historic Preservation Office, conservation of the State’s archaeological and historic-objects collections, operation of a conference center and management of historic properties across the state. Primary funding for division programs and services is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, a federal agency. However, the contents and opinions expressed in the division’s programs and services do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Department of the Interior.

About ASD: The Archaeological Society of Delaware (ASD) is a Non-Profit 501c3 Organization, founded in 1933 by avocational and professional archaeologists to study and appreciate the archaeological heritage of Delaware and the surrounding region.