Page 24 - Southern Delaware Tourism - 2019 Visitors Guide

Life Is...Timeless Here
History buffs will delight in discovering the history of Sussex County through its small-town museums and historic sites. Southern Delaware’s history began long before Captain John Smith began exploring tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and met the Nanticoke Indian Tribe near what’s now the town of Laurel. The Nanticoke Indian Tribe is still an active cultural force in the county, hosting a large Powwow every September and maintaining its own museum as well.
Find out about the fascinating social, agricultural, maritime, and military history of Sussex County from pre-Revolutionary days to the present by visiting our 26 museums and viewing their collections of artifacts and memorabilia. Expert docents put collections in context and bring the area’s history to life with stories of shipwrecks, pirates and their booty, storms, and political intrigue.
Museum locations include a train station, a caboose, a WWII bunker, a lighthouse, a town hall, a firehouse, an airport, a mansion, a lifesaving station, a lightship, a church, a barn, a post office, a renovated ice house, several historic homes, and a garden shed. How’s that for eclectic?
NANTICOKE INDIAN MUSEUM
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum holds a wide range of artifacts and information on the rich history of the Nanticoke Indians in Southern Delaware. 302-947-7022 | www.nanticokeindians.org
Photo Credit: Suzanne Smith
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HISTORIC HOT SPOTS
FORT MILES AT CAPE HENLOPEN STATE PARK Fort Miles Historic Area and Museum marks one of the largest and most heavily armed coastal fortifications ever built. Tour the WWII fort and artillery park, climb a fire tower, visit an underground gun battery. 302-644-5007 | www.destateparks.com/ history/fortmiles
COASTAL TOWNS MUSEUM
Experience the rich history of the towns between the Indian River and Assawoman bays. www.ovhistoricalsociety.org
SEAFORD MUSEUM
A state-of-the-art regional treasure housing hundreds of artifacts that illustrate Delaware’s history and fascinating stories, in timeline form. 302-628-9828 | www.seafordhistorical society.com