The Old State House

10/30/2026

Sci-fi fans mourn the loss of Sir Patrick Stewart who died at age 86. While he was best known for his roles as Captain Picard and Professor X, Stewart had a varied career as a classically-trained Shakespearean actor performing all over the world.

Patrick Stewart, the classically trained stage actor who scaled the Shakespearean canon and added gravitas to a “Star Trek” franchise and the “X-Men” films, has died.

10/29/2026

If you want to learn about the Native American perspective on the American Revolution this promises to be a great program!

Join us on Friday, November 6 as we host Drew Shuptar-Rayvis, a citizen and cultural ambassador of the Pocomoke Indian Nation, for a talk about the contributions, struggles and sacrifices made by Algonkian peoples during the War of American Independence.

Learn about the material culture and trade of Algonkian people during the revolution. Discover the complex political paths of patriotism, Toryism, and neutrality that shaped the history of Algonkian and Iroquois people and the contributions and choices they made to preserve their ways of life.

--------------------------------------------------⁠

Image Description: Man standing in a grassy clearing backed by trees, looking upward to his right, wearing traditional clothing, including a small red headdress, a metal gorget, beaded jewelry, cloth draped across his shoulders, a breechcloth, leggings, and moccasins, and holding a hatchet. Text around the image reads "Loyalty and Zeal with Drew Shuptar-Rayvis," "November 6, 2026," "6:00 pm," "New Castle Court House Museum," "211 Delaware St, New Castle, DE," and "Learn about the contributions, struggles and sacrifices made by Algonkian peoples during the War of American Independence."

10/24/2026

We're two weeks away from the Delaware Heritage Festival!

The Old State House will have quill pen writing demonstrations throughout the day and talk about Delawareans who served and contributed to the War of 1812

10/23/2026

On this day 25 years ago

Apple introduced the original iPod (now called iPod classic). This was the beginning of digital music and content which made consumers move away from portable cassette and CD players. With the iPod you could have up to a thousand songs at your fingertips. Just think of how many cassettes or CDs you'd have to own to get that many songs!

With a device the size of a deck of playing cards Apple helped revolution the music industry. Steve Jobs said “With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again.”

Initial iPod sales went well with 350,000 devices purchased in the first year, but it really took off when the 2002 model had Windows-compatible software then Apple introduced the iTunes store the following year. These advances helped create the modern digital music landscape that we thrive on today.

Many versions and generations of iPod came along over the next 20 years before the company discontinued their production. It's estimated that over 450 million devices were sold.

Image description: a first generation iPod with a white casing, small screen and control buttons surrounding a center circular wheel that allowed users to browse their music

10/21/2026

If you're looking for something to do on Sunday afternoon in New Castle!

And don't forget Saturday is William Penn Day!

Looking for a way to celebrate this Halloween season while learning about Delaware history? Join us on Sunday, October 25, while we ask the question: how does fear make the natural world around us ominous?

MacLaren M. Remy will present "The Pup in the Pit," a short program that explores the history of wolf hunting in colonial Delaware, from Edmund Cantwell’s efforts to control wolves to the use of wolf pits throughout the colony. More than simply a story of predator control, it asks where these anxieties about wolves came from and what they reveal about how early Anglo-Delawareans understood the natural world around them.

Guided tours of the museum will be shortened to 30 minutes to allow visitors to attend The Pup in the Pit program at the end of a tour. Visitors can also attend the program without joining a tour.

Guided Tours - 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm, and 4:30 pm
The Pup in the Pit - 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 5:00 pm

--------------------------------------------------⁠
⁠
Image Description: Drawing of wolf with gray fur and tongue hanging out of mouth, with text at the bottom reading "Wolf," "Lupus," and "Loup." Text added at top of image reads "The Pup in the Pit," "Wolves, Anxiety, and the Natural World in Colonial Delaware," and "October 25, 2026."

Image Credit: de Boodt, Anselmus Boetius. Wolf (Canis lupus). Wolf. / Lupus. / Loup. Wikimedia Commons. c. 1596-1610. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wolf_(Canis_lupus)_Wolf._Lupus._Loup._(titel_op_object),_RP-T-BR-2017-1-1-61.jpg.

10/16/2026

In case you missed last weekend's opening of the new John Dickinson Plantation Visitor Center, here are some photos!

10/15/2026

Congratulations to Jessica Liu from Christina School District's Wilson Elementary School for being named Delaware's Teacher of the Year 2027!

A multilingual learner teacher from the Christina School District is Delaware’s 2027 State Teacher of the Year. Dr. Jessica Liu of Etta J. Wilson Elementary School now is Delaware’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year. Secretary of Education Cindy Marten made the announcement tonight during...

10/14/2026

In case you missed our first Delaware Friends of Folk concert last Friday, here's the lineup for the rest of the season. All shows start at 7:30pm

10/10/2026

For our first Friends of Folk concert of the season the audience was treated to a performance by Kate Mills including a sing along!