The 2018 festival, entitled “Growing and Gathering: Farming on Iron Hill,” will highlight historical foodways and methods of archaeology, as well as the history of the area and what archaeologists might find in regards to food growing and preserving from the native people to the modern farming techniques. This family friendly event will include a demonstration from John Dickenson Plantation, flint knapping demonstrations, blacksmith demonstrations, archaeology excavation demonstrations, cooking and historical brewing demonstrations, and museum & science center tours. Food trucks will be available! Also, just for the little ones, there will be pottery making and archery.
The festival will be held at 1355 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702. Admission to the festival is $5 for adults, $4 for students and children, and children under 4 years of age free. Delaware Academy of Science Members $2. Scouts in uniform free.
Held in coordination with Delaware Archaeology Month, the 2018 Archaeology & Heritage Festival is sponsored by the Delaware Academy of Science, and the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Delaware Archaeology Month is designed to promote the study and conservation of Delaware’s archaeological resources and to reflect on the vital role of archaeology in revealing the cultural legacy of the state. Local and state wide historical societies will also be in attendance to talk about their findings and upcoming events.
You do not have to be an archaeologist to appreciate the culture and heritage of the region. The land surrounding the Iron Hill Museum is a unique natural, historical, and cultural place in Delaware. Its human history spans thousands of years. Places on Iron Hill where humans lived or worked include a precontact Native American quarry and living area, an open-pit iron mine that was used for almost 200 years, foundations of homes, and a foundation of an African American school house, as well as the currently standing Iron Hill School #112C that was built for the African American community of Iron Hill by Pierre S. DuPont. On display inside of the 1923 school house are local and regional artifacts dating to the Native American people, iron mining history of the area, as well as the history of Iron Hill School #112C. Archaeology is the study of the human past, principally through the artifacts that are left behind.
For additional information about the festival please contact the director of the Iron Hill Museum & Science Center, Maureen Zieber, at 302-368-5703 or director@ironhill-museum.org. You can also visit our website at www.ironhillsciencecenter.org.