List of museums in Delaware

This list of museums in Delaware contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing.

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library

Current museums
Name Location County Area of study Summary
Air Mobility Command Museum Dover Air Force Base Kent Military Military airlift and air refueling aircraft
Amstel House New Castle New Castle Historic house Operated by the New Castle Historical Society, 1730s Georgian mansion linked to many of the town’s prominent colonial families
Anna Hazzard Museum Rehoboth Beach Sussex History 1890s camp meeting history[1]
Barratt's Chapel and Museum Frederica Kent Religious 1780 Methodist chapel and museum about history of Methodism
Bethany Beach History Museum Bethany Beach Sussex Local history website, located in Bethany Town Hall
Bethel Heritage Museum Bethel Sussex Open air Historic village[2]
Biggs Museum of American Art Dover Kent Art American fine and decorative arts, part of First State Heritage Park
Blue Ball Barn Wilmington New Castle Art A.I. du Pont barn with state collection of folk art, located in Alapocas Run State Park
Bridgeville Historical Society Museum Bridgeville Sussex Local history [3][4]
Cannonball House Maritime Museum Lewes Sussex Maritime website, maritime artifacts, operated by the Lewes Historical Society
Center for the Creative Arts Yorklyn New Castle Community art website, community instruction center with 410 Gallery of local art
Coverdale Farm Preserve Greenville New Castle Farm website, 19th-century operating farm and preserve, operated by the Delaware Nature Society
Days Gone By Museum Seaford Sussex Local history Local history, antique tractors, carpenter's tools and other artifacts[5][6]
Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village Dover Kent Agriculture website, includes Loockerman Landing Village, a representation of a rural village in 1890s with a store, farmhouse, schoolhouse and other building; farm equipment and tools, collection of carved folk art farm scenes, local art exhibits
Delaware Art Museum Wilmington New Castle Art Contains over 12,000 works focusing on American art and illustration from the 19th to the 21st century as well as the English Pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-19th century
Delaware Aviation Museum Georgetown Sussex Aviation website, located at Delaware Coastal Airport, features WWII aviation artifacts, memorabilia and displays
Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts Wilmington New Castle Art Presents nearly 30 exhibitions annually of regionally, nationally, and internationally recognized contemporary artists
Delaware Center for Horticulture Greenville New Castle Natural history Community horticulture resource organization with public gardens, library and art gallery
Delaware Children's Museum Wilmington New Castle Children's website, located on Wilmington Riverfront
Delaware History Museum Wilmington New Castle History Operated by the Delaware Historical Society, cultural and historical Delaware exhibits, including everyday life artifacts, costumes, children's toys, regional decorative arts, and paintings
Delaware Mineralogical Society Wilmington New Castle Natural history Non-profit organization promoting education in earth science and lapidary art, annual show first full weekend in March hosting museum and educational exhibits
Delaware Museum of Natural History Greenville New Castle Natural history Features collections of seashells, birds, and bird eggs, exhibits on dinosaurs, mammals, and Charles Darwin
Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame Wilmington New Castle Hall of fame – sports Over 150 years of Delaware sports history, located at Frawley Stadium
Delaware Legislative Hall Dover Kent History State capitol building, open for guided tours
Delaware State Police Museum Dover Kent Law enforcement website, history of the Delaware State Police, badges, uniforms, vehicles
Delaware Visitor Center and Galleries Dover Kent Local history Delaware history and culture, part of First State Heritage Park
Delmar Depot Railroad and Military Museum Delmar Sussex Railroad [7]
Discover Sea Shipwreck Museum Fenwick Island Sussex Maritime website, shipwreck and recovered artifacts both regional and worldwide
Dutch House (New Castle, Delaware) New Castle New Castle Historic house website, operated by the New Castle Historical Society, 17th-century early Delaware settlers' house
Elsie Williams Doll Collection Georgetown Sussex Doll website, located at Delaware Technical Community College (Jack F. Owens Campus), Stephen J. Betze Library; over 600 dolls from around the world
Fenwick Island Light Fenwick Island Sussex Lighthouse Small museum of the history of the lighthouse
First Presbyterian Church Wilmington New Castle History 18th-century Presbyterian church, operated by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
Fort Delaware Pea Patch Island New Castle Military Historic fort with living history demonstrations
Georgetown Train Station Georgetown Sussex Railroad website, operated by the Historic Georgetown Association, restored 19th-century train station with model railroad layout
Governor Ross Mansion & Plantation Seaford Sussex Historic house Operated by the Seaford Historical Society; 1850s-period Victorian Italianate mansion with a slave quarter
Greenbank Mill Wilmington New Castle Living Includes the gristmill restoration, Madison Factory textile mill, Philips House, and the 19th-century farm with heritage livestock
Hagley Museum & Library Wilmington New Castle History Exhibits the unfolding history of American enterprise and is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E.I. du Pont in 1802
Hale-Byrnes House Stanton New Castle Historic house 1750 historic house
Harrington Historical Society Museum Harrington Kent Local history Local memorabilia; also operates the Harrington Tower Railroad Museum nearby with a railroad tower, caboose and watchman’s hut[8][9]
Harry Levin Center for Pharmacy & History Smyrna Kent Medical website, pharmacy history center started by founder of Happy Harry's drug stores and run by Delaware Pharmacists Society
Historic Houses of Odessa Odessa New Castle Historic house website, enclave of 18th- and early 19th-century buildings which includes the Corbit-Sharp House (c. 1774), Wilson-Warner House (c. 1769), Collins-Sharp House (c. 1700), Brick Hotel (c. 1822), and Odessa Bank (c. 1853)
Indian River Lifesaving Station Museum Rehoboth Beach Sussex Maritime Located in Delaware Seashore State Park
Iron Hill Museum Newark New Castle History / Natural history Former one-room schoolhouse built by the du Pont family in 1923; collections include rocks, minerals, floral and faunal specimens, archeological and historical displays, mounted birds and iron exhibits
John Bell House Dover Kent Local history Interpretive center for the First State Heritage Park
John Dickinson Plantation Dover Kent Historic house 18th-century home of John Dickinson
Johnson Victrola Museum Dover Kent Biographical Part of First State Heritage Park, exhibits about Eldridge Reeves Johnson, founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company, including phonographs, recordings, memorabilia, trademarks, objects and paintings that highlight the development of the sound-recording industry
Laurel Heritage Museum Laurel Sussex Local history website, operated by the Laurel Historical Society in a restored trail station, also the Cook House Museum by appointment
Lewes Historical Society Complex Lewes Sussex Open air website, nine historic properties: Burton-Ingram House, Lewes Life-Saving Station Museum, Doctor's Office, Early Plank House, Ellegood House, Midway School #178, Rabbit's Ferry House, Thompson's Country Store
Lightship Overfalls Lewes Sussex Maritime Historic lightship museum
Marshall Steam Museum Yorklyn New Castle Transportation Part of Auburn Valley State Park, includes Stanley Steamer cars, electric cars, Packards, miniature railroad, locomotives, local history displays, Marshall Family Mansion
Marvel Carriage Museum Georgetown Sussex Transportation website, collection of antique carriages as well as many original, restored buildings, Victrolas, ephemera, photographs, telephones, furniture and many more items related to Georgetown; open by appointment; operated by the Georgetown Historical Society
Messick Museum Harrington Sussex Agriculture website, includes antique John Deere tractors, antique machinery, automobiles, tools, toys and farming memorabilia
Milford Museum Milford Sussex Local history website; model ships; silver collection of coins, spoons, and novelties; early settlement of Milford; the city's variety of architecture; prominent citizens; artifacts; photographs; and historical memorabilia
Milton Historical Society Museum Milton Sussex Local history website, history of Milton and the Broadkill Hundred, art gallery
Museum of Business History & Technology Wilmington New Castle History website, history about innovations in business technology, open by appointment[10]
Nanticoke Indian Museum Millsboro Sussex Native American website, history of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe, jewelry, pottery, spears, arrow points, artifacts
Nemours Mansion and Gardens Wilmington New Castle Mansion A.I. duPont's mansion and French chateau-style grounds
Newark Historical Society Museum Newark New Castle Local history website, history of Newark and Delaware, museum open Sunday afternoons on a seasonal basis
New Castle Court House Museum New Castle New Castle History One of the oldest surviving court houses in the United States, exhibits about Delaware's colonial court and assembly, Delaware's Underground Railroad and abolitionists, and the early system of law and government
Old State House Dover Kent History Delaware's old state capitol building, restored for 18th-century appearance
Old Library Museum New Castle New Castle Local history website, operated by the New Castle Historical Society, changing exhibits of local history
Old Swedes Church Wilmington New Castle History Church building constructed in 1698–1699
Old Town Hall Wilmington New Castle Historic site Open by appointment with the Delaware Historical Society, the hall housed the city's meeting chambers, offices and jail
Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art Newark New Castle Art Works by African American artists, part of the University of Delaware
Parson Thorne Mansion Milford Kent Historic house Operated by the Milford Historical Society
Pencader Heritage Museum Newark New Castle Local history website, operated by the Pencader Heritage Area Association
Read House & Gardens New Castle New Castle Historic house 1801 mansion with 22 rooms, operated by the Delaware Historical Society
Rehoboth Art League Rehoboth Beach Sussex Art website, institution founded by Louise C. Corkran
Rehoboth Beach Museum Rehoboth Beach Sussex Local history website, operated by the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society
Robinson House Claymont New Castle Historic house 1723 house, home of the Claymont Historical Society and the Darley Society
Rockwood Museum and Park Wilmington New Castle Historic house Restored Gilded Age mansion and historic landscape garden, located in Rockwood Park
Seaford Fire Museum Seaford Sussex Firefighting website, fire memorabilia related to the history of the Seaford Volunteer Fire Department
Seaford Museum Seaford Sussex Local history website, operated by the Seaford Historical Society
Smyrna Museum Smyrna Kent Local history website, operated by the Duck Creek Historical Society, period rooms, history of The Barracks, now the museum
Star Hill Museum Camden Kent African American Former AME church, site on the Underground Railroad, reproduction inventions by African-Americans, African artifacts, utensils used in daily slave life
Treasures of the Sea Exhibit Georgetown Sussex Maritime website, located at Delaware Technical Community College (Jack F. Owens Campus), Stephen J. Betze Library; artifacts from the shipwreck Nuestra Señora de Atocha
University Gallery Newark New Castle Art Part of the University of Delaware, photographs, prints, drawings, paintings and ceramics
University of Delaware Mineralogical Museum Newark New Castle Geology Part of the University of Delaware, minerals, petrified wood, meteorites, DuPont collection of gemstones
Willingtown Square Wilmington New Castle Historic houses Operated by the Delaware Historical Society, collection of four historic buildings, dating from 1748 to the early 19th century, which can be viewed from the outside, and changing local history exhibits in the Willingtown Square Gallery
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library Wilmington New Castle History 950 acres (3.8 km2) with gardens, estate mansion with 175 period-room displays, museum galleries of fine and decorative arts, including American furniture, silver and metalwork, textiles and needlework, ceramics, glass, clock and woodworking shop displays
Woodburn Dover Kent Historic house Official residence of the Governor of Delaware, dates back to 1798
Zwaanendael Museum Lewes Sussex History Honors the 300th anniversary of Delaware's first European settlement, founded in 1631; local history exhibits

Proposed museums
Name Location County Area of study Summary
Afro-American Historical Society of Delaware Wilmington New Castle African American Proposed at Allied Kid Leather building in East Wilmington
Delaware Military Museum Delaware City New Castle Military museum website, proposed at Burton Hall building at Fort DuPont

Defunct museums
  • Delaware Archaeology Museum, Dover, website
  • Delaware Toy & Miniature Museum, Wilmington; closed in 2007 due to financial difficulty[11]
  • First USA Riverfront Arts Center, Wilmington; closed amid legal dispute in 1999; converted to Chase Convention Center
  • Museum of the American Road, New Castle; moved to New London, Connecticut[12]
  • Museum of Small Town Life, Dover[13]
  • Velocipede Museum, New Castle[14]

See also

References
  1. "Museums – Directory". Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  2. "Attractions" (PDF). Laurel Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  3. "Community Organizations". Town of Bridgeville. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. "Bridgeville Historical Society". Museums USA. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  5. "Days Gone By Museum". Community Walk. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  6. "A Historical Day Along the Nanticoke...Part II". YouTube. June 29, 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  7. "Railroad Attractions". Visit Southern Delaware. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  8. "Harrington Historical Society Museum". Delaware Tourism. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  9. "Harrington Historical Society". City of Harrington. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  10. Sally Friedman (September 27, 2014). "Business equipment collection presents a social history". The Inquirer. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  11. http://www.toycollectormagazine.com/bertoias-april-17-19-auction-features-a-blue-ribbon-lineup-of-toys-banks-dollhouses-and-more Auction description of collections from the museum, Toy Collectors Magazine, March 1, 2008
  12. "About us". Mike's Famous. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  13. "Museum of Small Town Life". State of Delaware. Retrieved 3 October 2014. The museum is permanently closed, however there are numerous other free and low cost cultural venues in the downtown Dover area. Please call the Delaware Welcome Center for more information at (302) 744–5055.
  14. "Velocipede Museum". Trip Advisor. October 14, 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2015. The museum closed. The owners took their private collection elsewhere.
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