Category: Small Historical Societies in Delaware

Lewes Historical Society 110 Shipcarpenter Street Lewes, DE 19958

Lewes Historical Society 110 Shipcarpenter Street Lewes, DE 19958

Lewes Historical Society

110 Shipcarpenter Street

Lewes, DE 19958

(302) 645-7670

Homepage

Open: Please check out the website for event days

Homepage

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34028-d552705-r882669782-Lewes_Historical_Society-Lewes_Delaware.html?m=19905

The Lewes Historical Society at 110 Shipcarpenter Street (Hiram Rodney Burton House-History below)

The Mission Statement of the Lewes Historical Society

(From the Lewes Historical Society Website)

Our Mission:

The Lewes Historical Society promotes and advocates the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Lewes region, through museum exhibits, educational programs, historical research, and publications.

The Society:

(From the Lewes Historical Society Website)

The Lewes Historical Society can trace its roots to a small group of concerned citizens who joined forces to establish the organization in 1962. Troubled by the loss of significant local structures and the deterioration of historic buildings, the group invited like-minded Lewes residents to join as members, a group that continues to grow each year.

The Visitor’s Center

The Visitor’s Center sign

The Visitor’s Center-The Historical sign of the Ryves-Holt House, the oldest home on its own foundation in Delaware and one of the few left in the United States of America

The Jacob Rudd display at the Visitor’s Center

Starting with the purchase of a lot at Third and Shipcarpenter Street, the campus of the Lewes Historical Society was gradually assembled as buildings threatened with destruction or abandonment were moved to the property. Today, there are a dozen buildings that tell the history of Lewes through the display of artifacts, artwork, decorative arts, and furnishings.

The Cannonball Museum courtyard

Three buildings are located in the heart of town, the Ryves Holt House (c. 1631), the Cannonball House (c 1760) and the Museum Store (c. 1898). On the canal, you will find the Lewes Life-Saving Station (c. 1884).

The Cannonball House Museum

https://www.historiclewes.org/visit/calendar/event/313-cannonball-house-maritime-museum.html

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34028-d1382665-Reviews-Cannonball_House-Lewes_Delaware.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/8779

I recently visited the Lewes Historical Society in Lewes, DE. Part of the grounds were open that afternoon for what looked like a special event. I saw costumed actors walking around the grounds but the main building was closed so I figured it was for a private event. Still they opened all the outer buildings on the grounds so I was able to visit the School House, the Doctor’s Office, the General Store and some of the historical homes. The grounds were just coming into bloom with the first day of Spring just a couple of days earlier.

The grounds are very well signed so that you can take the tour on your own. The exhibits are very well detailed and have lots of artifacts that make them interesting to visit. You get a grasp of what life was like at the turn of the last century. The grounds were nicely landscaped so it will be something to see in the late Spring and early Summer. Most of the special events and meetings don’t start until April when it starts to get busy again. There is a lot planned so look at their website for events and when they are scheduled.

I toured most of the grounds that were open that afternoon and also toured the Lewes History Museum in another part of the downtown a few blocks away. The museum tells the history of Lewes and also has a nice collection of artifacts. The Cannonball House on Front Street is closed for now for renovations but I was able to tour it last September. It has a nice collection of shipping, fishing and Revolutionary War pictures and artifacts. The grounds of that museum are open and there is a lot to see in their courtyard. The Cannonball House will be open in May of 2023. I will be revisiting all three again closer to the summer.

Each of the open buildings were filled with artifacts that represented the building. The School House was prepared for the first day of school circa 1890-1920. It is amazing how much a school has not really changed that much in setup since that time. The board is still up front and the desks lined up perfectly.

The Doctor’s Office is nearly the same as a current one with different equipment. Still you would think that the doctor just stepped out for a moment. The room was filled with medical equipment of that time period. The Thompson Country Store was the most interesting in that the store was opened in the late 1880’s and closed in 1962. The attached house is intact with the connections to other parts of the home and the store was fully stocked with merchandise.

With the seasons just changing to Spring, the grounds were filled with daffodils, crocuses and Tulips that were all peeking out of their Winter slumber. Everything was coming back to life and it was a very nice, mild Spring afternoon of walking around the grounds and visiting the buildings that were open.

It will be fun to see the whole Society grounds when everything is open and ready to go for the season.

The Cannonball House grounds during Christmas time

Situated on the Campus is a range of examples of Lewes architecture: the early plank house (c. 1690), Hiram Rodney Burton House (c. 1720), the Rabbits’ Ferry House (c. 1740), the Burton-Ingram House (c. 1785), the Ellegood House and Blacksmith Shop (c. 1790), Thompson Country Store (c 1800), the Doctor’s Office (c. 1850) and the Midway School (c. 1898).

Lewes Historical Society’s grounds in the early Spring

The most recent addition is the Lewes History Museum, located in the Margaret H. Rollins Community Center on 101 Adams Avenue. Here you will find permanent and changing exhibits that offer insights into the complex and colorful history of Lewes and the surrounding area. This building is also the repository of the Archives of the Lewes Historical Society, which are available to the public, by appointment.

Lewes History Museum at 101 Adams Avenue is part of the Lewes Historical Society

Homepage

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34028-d17640472-Reviews-Lewes_History_Museum-Lewes_Delaware.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34028-d552705-r882669782-Lewes_Historical_Society-Lewes_Delaware.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/7489

As you browse the LHS website, you will discover a robust calendar of annual events, including the Mid Atlantic Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival, Craft Fairs, Maritime Festival & Antique Show, Speaker Series, Living History Tavern Talk, Artist as Historian, camps and other programs for children. Join us for one of these programs and consider becoming a member of this vibrant arts and cultural organization.

The Drying Machine at the Lewes Historical Society’s grounds

The History of the Society:

(From the Lewes Historical Society website):

Around 1960, a local newspaper columnist named Marjorie Virden wrote several articles for the local papers lamenting the fact that many of Lewes’ fine eighteenth-century buildings were rapidly disappearing. Particular attention was called to the plight of the David Rowland House on Front Street, which carries in its foundation a cannonball memento of the War of 1812 and the Bombardment of Lewes in April of 1813. Over the years, the house had been so neglected that the interior brick nogging was visible through missing shingles.

Historical Home on the grounds of the Lewes Historical Society

The inside of the historical house

One day in 1961, a group of concerned citizens including Robert Orr, Ginnie Orr, and Sarah Chambers were sailing down the canal towards Roosevelt Inlet. As they passed the Rowland House, someone remarked that no action had been taken to save Lewes’s historic architecture despite much talk. That same evening, Mrs. Orr held a meeting for dozens of concerned citizens at her house. Soon after, a general meeting was held to organize The Lewes Historical Society. Temporary officers were selected, invitations sent – with excellent results – to prospective members, and The Lewes Historical Society was officially founded on January 19, 1962.

The Doctor’s Office

19th Century Medicine

The inside of the Doctor’s office of the 19th Century

Later that year, a lot at the corner of Third and Shipcarpenter Streets was purchased and named the Lewes Historic Complex. The Burton-Ingram House, Thompson Country Store, Rabbits’ Ferry House, Creamery, Necessary, Early Plank House, Blacksmith Shop, and Ellegood House were gradually moved to the Complex and restored. Conservation efforts continue today. The neglected house of David Rowland was eventually bought by the Society and restored. Today it sits on its original site at the corner of Front and Bank Streets and serves as the popular Cannonball House Maritime Museum.

The front grounds of the Lewes Historical Society-The Hiram Rodney Burton House

In 1989, the John Farrace Bequest enabled the Society to purchase 110 Shipcarpenter Street, then known as the Watts property, and renamed as the Hiram Rodney Burton House to honor a local physician and Delaware’s Congressman from 1901-to 1904. This structure houses the Society’s administrative offices. In 1991, Freddie’s Barn, the Society’s maintenance facility, was built to honor long-time historic preservationist and restoration specialist, Fred Hudson, who has worked for the Society since the summer of 1962. The Doctor’s Office, previously located on Second Street, was moved to the Complex to consolidate Society properties and in 2000, it was joined by Midway School #178.

Freddie’s Barn on the Lewes Historical Society property

The plaque dedicated to Fredrick E. Hudson for Freddie’s Barn

With the cooperation of the City of Lewes, the Society received a lease to the waterfront property on the canal at the foot of Shipcarpenter Street, where the boathouse of the Lewes Life Saving Station sits. Since 1997, the Society has leased the Ryves Holt House at the corner of Second and Mulberry Streets from the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware. Located in the heart of Lewes’s thriving business district, the Ryves Holt House serves as the Society’s Visitors Center, gift shop, and the permanent Jacob Jones Exhibition.

The Ryves Holt House is the Lewes Information office

The Lewes Information office gardens in the early Spring

The Zwaanendael Park in the Spring. This is just behind the Information building

Zwaanendael Park in the Spring

The entrance of the Lewes Historical Society

The Society continues to offer a rich and exciting array of activities that engage our visitors and promote Lewes’ unique heritage to an ever-increasing number of seasonal guests and year-round residents of the area. From our interpretive programs such as Tavern Talks to the Mid-Atlantic Sea Glass Festivals, Antique Shows, and Craft Fairs the Society offers annual programs that have become signature events.

The Thompson Country Store

The Thompson Country Store

The inside of the Thompson Country Store

The Society has sponsored several conferences on Lewes and Delaware History, has invited numerous local, national, and international scholars and dignitaries to speak at its events, and promotes the arts and cultural exploration and appreciation in Southern Delaware. As Lewes continues to grow, the Society will strive to maintain a record of the past of this special and ancient town by the sea.

The Society Home-The Burton-Ingram House

The sign of the Burton-Ingram House

The Sussex Tavern is a recreation of a tavern in the 1700’s complete with a bar area, dining tables with food and menus of the items that could be ordered. The tavern was the focal point for travelers and locals alike to share a meal, ideas and politics. It was the center point for most communities.

The Sussex Tavern is open once a month for special events

The Sussex Tavern on the Lewes Historical Society grounds

The inside of the Sussex Tavern

The Tavern Menu

The Tavern is open in season for drinks snacks

A meal inside of the Sussex Tavern

The inside of the Sussex Tavern

The School House on the grounds of the Lewes Historical Society

The inside of the School House

The Outhouse

The gardens and grounds in the Spring 2023

The grounds in 2023

The Outhouse in the Spring 2023

Don’t miss this wonderful self-guided tour of the Lewes Historical Society.

During Christmas of 2024, I came to the Society site for the Christmas holidays and it was closed for the day but I could still enjoy the buildings decorations. It was nicely decorated with wreaths and garland. Very nice at this time of the year.

The historical society decorated for the holidays

The Inn decorated for the family

The doorways decorated for the holidays with wreaths and garland

The barn decorated for the holidays

Even entering and leaving Lewes is very festive. It puts you in the holiday spirit.

Zwaanendael Museum 102 Kings Highway Lewes, DE 19958

Zwaanendael Museum 102 Kings Highway Lewes, DE 19958

Zwaanendael Museum

102 Kings Highway

Lewes, DE 19958

(302) 645-1148

https://www.facebook.com/Zwaanendael/

Admission: Free

Open: Sunday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 10:00am-4:15pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34028-d103509-Reviews-Zwaanendael_Museum-Lewes_Delaware.html

The Zwaanendael Museum at 102 Kings Highway

The Zwaanendael Museum was inspired by the town hall in Hoorn, the Netherlands and commemorates the founding of Delaware’s first European settlement by the Dutch along Hoorn Kill (present day Lewes-Rehoboth Canal) in 1631. It’s programs showcase how the Lewes area’s Dutch and maritime histories unite.

The museum has limited hours but is free to the public.

Information signs

The inside of the museum explains the history of Lewes starting with the Dutch Colony. The growth of the Colony, the shipping industry and the shipwrecks off the coast line. There are many artifacts that the museum has either found or been donated to over the years. There is another display of the railroad industry and its growth in Lewes which lead to it becoming a seaside resort in the later half of the 19th century. The museum was created to honor the 300th Anniversary of the Dutch settlement of Zwaanendael. The museum represents the history of Sussex County in Delaware (Wiki).

The first floor gallery is filled with the history of the Railroads and the Shipping industry

The first floor galleries contain many artifacts that were recovered from the sea or donations that were made to the museum. This tells the story of early Lewes, DE. This gives a visitor a grasp of the importance of Lewes as a shipping port in the early days of the colonies. As the railroads replaced the shipping industry, you begin to see the growth and importance of Lewes as a trading port.

On the second floor there is a display on the Royal family of the Netherlands, a large display of ceramic Delftware and there is even the body of a mermaid. There were also displays of the local farming industry and the commercialization of the produce of the area.

The history of the Railroad industry in Lewes brought this sleepy farming community residents from far away that turned it into a resort town and a destination for summer tourism

The Railroad industry continued to grow and become more prosperous in Lewes

The railroads also help moved farming products out of the area and into urban markets

Lewes was also a big area for shipping with a busy port especially during the Revolutionary War.

The tale of the DeBraak, one of the shipping vessels of the war years

Life on the shipping vessels

Some of the recovered artifacts from shipwrecks off the coast of Lewes

The tales of the ship “DeBraak” and its story

The ship the “DeBraak”

The second floor of the museum has interesting displays on the aspects of life in Lewes and the influence of the Dutch on the community. It also offers many novelties such as a mermaid.

Display of the packing crates on the second floor

How items were shipped in the early days of the shipping industry

The Zwaanendael Mermaid is the most unique item in the collection. It makes you think it is real.

The Zwaanendael Mermaid

The Delftware collection

The history of Delftware

The lighthouses of Delaware

Display of the items that were canned in Lewes that were part of the growth of the farming industry in Lewes

The entrance of the Zwaanendael Museum in the winter months

Lewes History Museum 101 Adams Avenue Lewes, DE 19958

Lewes History Museum 101 Adams Avenue Lewes, DE 19958

Lewes History Museum

101 Adams Avenue

Lewes, DE 19958

(302) 645-7670

Homepage

Open: Sunday Closed/Monday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm

Admission: $5.00 plus entrance to the Cannonball House Museum in addition

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34028-d17640472-Reviews-Lewes_History_Museum-Lewes_Delaware.html

Lewes Historical Society:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34028-d552705-Reviews-Lewes_Historical_Society-Lewes_Delaware.html

The Lewes History Museum at 101 Adams Street

A video on “Historic Lewes, DE”

When I was visiting Rehoboth Beach, DE recently the museum I had wanted to visit in Rehoboth was closed for the day, so I remembered that there were a few museums in Lewes, DE, a small town right down the highway so I headed there and found the Lewes History Museum at 101 Adams Avenue. The museum was the old library which has since moved across the street.

The entrance to the museum

The museum is very interesting and well set up. The museum is one big room that is broken down in different sections which helps explain the history of the town. Each display moves you through the museum in a chorological order of how the town developed.

The museum starts with a display on early Native American history which then moves to the colonization of the Dutch and British in the area. There are all sorts of interesting artifacts that tell the story of the Revolutionary War by way of the residents.

There are displays on the way homes were designed and decorated as well as the role that Lewes played during the war. There have been a lot of soldiers who had died in the war with their stories being told by the museum. There are also discussions about the interaction between the Native population with the colonists. The Native American collections featured the lives of the tribes that lived in the area of Lewes. They had found this canoe when dredging the area.

The Lewes History Museum’s displays are informative

Life in the Dutch colony was featured after the Native American display as the next group took over this area from the Native Americans. Delaware had been part of the original Dutch colony. When we were taking a tour and the guide said that technically Delaware was part of Maryland but the Dutch stood strong against the British at that time, the area stayed independent but not for long.

The Dutch Colony

The Revolutionary War came to Delaware but it never saw the fighting that the other colonies saw. Still the state had to be on guard at all times and there were British War ships off the coast of Lewes that did do some damage.

Revolutionary War display

The displays held some interesting artifacts including a ‘toasting glass’ from the evening in Fraunces Tavern where George Washington said farewell to his troops. The docent said that he had kept the glass all those years and it was passed down from generation to generation until it made its way to the museum as a donation.

The Farming and Dairy industries played a role in Delaware’s history but because of the type of soil that Lewes had it was not meant for many crops. Wheat, some vegetables and the dairy industry played a role in the business of Lewes.

The Dairy and Agriculture industries of Lewes

There is a section on the development of businesses and Lewes as a resort town. The section on Lewes developing as a resort town was interesting with the advent of ocean swimming, boating and beach recreation. There is also a section on 19th and 20th century business in Lewes that kept up with the times.

20th Century Business

19th Century Business

There was an interesting display on Victorian furniture and decorating for the home. The decorative arts section showed how Victorian families set up their homes and how status symbols like fine furniture and family portraits played an important role in society.

Display on Decorative Arts of the Home

There was a detailed display on the Beebe family and the growth of their well-known hospital. The family started with three beds in a home to the giant hospital that it is today. You can read about the family members contributions both to the hospital and the community.

The history of the Beebe Hospital Family and the growth of the hospital

The area developed and entered the modern era with displays on Public Service, The shipping industry and the growth of the railroads in the area that helped open Lewes up as a resort. As the modes of transportation changed so did Lewes with each step.

The Shipping Industry

The presentation plate as part of the railroad display

Public Service and a sense of community

Zippy

The museum will take about an hour to comfortably walk through. It is a interesting and fun way to know the history of Lewes, De. The detail and interesting artifacts makes it a very engaging museum. The docents are really nice and helpful in explaining the displays.

The History of the Lewes History Museum:

(From the Museum website):

The Lewes History Museum is located in the Margarat H. Rollins Community Center at 101 Adams Avenue in Lewes, DE. For 54 years, The Lewes Historical Society has collected and preserved tens of thousands of historic artifacts, artwork, documents, maps and photos. Now it the support from the City of Lewes, a gift of $500,000 from the Ma-Ran Foundation and generous donations, this incredible collection is on continuous display at the Lewes History Museum.

The museum serves as the primary source of information about Lewes for visitors, researchers, students and residents. Enjoy ongoing exhibits featuring Lewe’ maritime history, decorative arts and artists, famous families of Lewes and how our region is seen through environmental change. The museum provides ongoing seminars, symposia and presentations along with a wing for community non-profit gatherings.

The popular Children’s Discovery Center is house inside the museum and is currently closed at this time. The Discovery Center offers an interactive, fun and educational experience for children of all ages. At the Center, children can experience 19th century Delaware by interacting in a replica general store and post office, playing around a scaled model of Cape Henlopen Lighthouse with a Morse code station, foghorn and reflecting lights. The Center also houses a Delaware River Pilots’ simulation module, a electronic table-top boat-building area and a lighthouse “keepers cottage”.

The community center is the centerpiece of the cultural campus in Lewes, including 18 miles of trails, a concert stage, parks, a children’s garden and the Lewes Public Library.

The Lewes History Museum Gift Shop

Rehoboth Beach Museum/Rehoboth Beach Historical Society 511 Rehoboth Avenue Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

Rehoboth Beach Museum/Rehoboth Beach Historical Society 511 Rehoboth Avenue Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

Rehoboth Beach Museum/Rehoboth Beach Historical Society

511 Rehoboth Avenue

Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

(302) 227-7310

info@rehobothbeachmuseum.org

http://www.rehobothbeachmuseum.org

http://www.rehobothbeachmuseum.org/

Open:

Memorial Day through October 31st: Monday-Friday-10:00am-4:00pm/Saturday and Sunday-11:00am-3:00pm

November 1st through Memorial Day: Friday-10:00am-4:00pm/Saturday & Sunday-11:00am-3:00pm

Closed: Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day

Fee: Please make a donation

TripAdvisor Review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34048-d1488361-Reviews-Rehoboth_Beach_Museum-Rehoboth_Beach_Delaware.html?m=19905

Rehoboth Beach Museum IV

Don’t miss this recently reopened and renovated museum by the shore. The Rehoboth Beach Museum is a treasure trove of artifacts on the history of the resort from a Methodist camp to modern times.

The Rehoboth Beach Museum 511 Rehoboth Avenue

On the first floor, there are displays of early Native American artifacts with the history of the Native tribes that lived in the area. Take some time to look over how the tribes lived in the area and the influence they had before Rehoboth Beach became a Methodist Camp.

The entrance of the museum

There is the history of the Methodist camps and as an early Victorian resort. 

The front gallery of the Rehoboth Beach Museum and its various displays

There are maps of the set up of the camps, how the resort developed from a Methodist Camp to the growth of the hotels and amusement areas. They also describe the growth of the Boardwalk and how storms over the years shaped the resort and rebuilding period.

Bathing Suits from the turn of the last century

There are all sorts of items such as old post cards, bathing suits, beach items like shovels and pails, amusement items, historical items from all eras of the resorts including hotel and restaurant information and even the history of the LGBT community with the history of Camp Rehoboth.

Rehoboth Beach started as a Mormon Retreat

Camp Rehoboth has shown how much the resort has changed to include everyone

The museum also showcased the restaurants that once dotted the town, hotels that have since disappeared but left their dinnerware, menus and the events that once happened there. The development from a Methodist Camp to resort for the Philly and Washington DC crowd grew very quickly with the popularity of sunbathing and ocean swimming. As the hotels came, so did the restaurants and amusement areas. Rehoboth Beach morphed from a religious colony to one of family please and recreation.

Sand buckets at the Rehoboth Beach Museum

The growth of hotels in the area

The restaurant and food service industry grew as well to cater to the hungry crowds

There was also a nice display and video on the Rehoboth Beach Rescue Squad and the development of the lifeguards that watch over the beaches. They showed the various squads over the last fifty years and it was interesting to see how many of them came back year after year.

The top floor is for special exhibits and when I was visiting there, the museum was displaying a needle point exhibition on early works and ‘starter kits’, which young girls would do to practice their needlepoint. There is a current exhibition on ‘Sea life by the Shore’.

On recent visit, the museum displayed businesses of ‘Rehoboth Beach Past and Present’. It had a lot of old signs from businesses that have been in the resort for years.

The signs of the businesses in Rehoboth Beach DE

The second floor displays

A recent exhibition showed the disastrous “1962 Nor’easter” that destroyed most of the shoreline, all the boardwalk businesses including the Boardwalk and how the town rebuilt quickly to open by Memorial Day that year. Anything that had been along the coastline had been destroyed in this three day period in March of 1962. The Boardwalk looked like matchsticks.

The storms that have hit the resort

The museum also discusses the people who make Rehoboth Beach their home. This covers regular citizens who live here on a daily basis and tells their story. With the growth of the community so did civic minded people and people who represented the town during the wars. It has a nice display on the high school students and their participation in Rehoboth Beach.

The Military display

The High School display

They offer exhibits, walking and bus tours, programs for adults and children, membership benefits and a gift shop.

One of the newest displays that the museum is promoting is the diorama of Downtown Rehoboth Beach during the turn of the last century complete with lights and sounds and props moving.

The diorama at the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society

The details of the old beach community

The old homes that used to line the downtown

The very end of the road that faced the ocean

The diorama is a very nice addition to the museum collection

Several long time businesses closed in the downtown, Royal Treat Restaurant and Carlton Clothing and both businesses donated a lot of artifacts and family items from their establishments.

Royal Treatment Restaurant menu

Items from the now closed family restaurant

Carlton Clothing had been downtown since the 1960’s and they donated a lot of items to the collection. The bear costume was a promotional prop for the holiday season that Carlton’s used for families.

The Carlton Bear costume

The ‘Bear that Cares’ button on the bear

The sign for the display

Some new toys, games and prizes from the Boardwalk

There was also a lot of new family donations to the museum from families who lived in Rehoboth Beach. These items were part of local life in the area.

The new family donation display

The gift shop has a nice variety of items for sale that are beach themed. They sponsor the Annual Museum Beach Ball, a beach party on the first Saturday of August (Rehoboth Beach Museum).

The Gift Shop at the Rehoboth Beach Museum

The museum, founded in 1975,  collects, preserves and displays artifacts and memorabilia tracing the history of the town’s 19th century Camp Meeting origins through its development into today’s popular summer resort (Rehoboth Beach Museum).

The museum also has a nice gift shop to buy gifts from Rehoboth Beach as well as a selection of beach magazines and books. Check it out.

Think of becoming a Friend of the Rehoboth Beach Museum.

Outside the museum, there is an interesting park along the canal with walking paths and a small dock to walk down. On a nice to it is a great way to cool off.

Grove Park Dock

The path that leads to the dock

The view of the canal behind the museum

The iconic Dolles sign was moved here when the store closed on the Boardwalk