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September 2008 |
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 Fire shovel recovered from the Avery's Rest archaeological site. |
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The Avery's Rest archaeological site near Rehoboth Beach continues to provide valuable information about life in Delaware's early colonial period. The most recent discovery is a fire shovel that was uncovered in July, 2008 during excavation of a cellar hole. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Avery's Rest contains the remains of a 17th century settlement owned by John Avery, a sea captain, justice of the peace, and judge. Investigation of the site is being conducted by volunteers from the Archaeological Society of Delaware with assistance from HCA staff archaeologists.
For more information about Avery's Rest, read the following newspaper articles: |
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 Example of an intact fire shovel from the same time-period as the Avery's Rest discovery. |
 Museum site interpreter Wesley Hamlin explains the process that workers would have utilized in installing a spring in an Orthophonic sound machine produced by the Victor Talking Machine Company in the 1920s. |
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Visitors to Dover's Museum Square are invited to celebrate Labor Day by taking time away from their jobs to learn about early America's workforce during the program "Labor and Progress" that will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, September 1, and Saturday, September 6, 2008.
Guests visiting Museum Square's three sites—the Johnson Victrola Museum, the Museum of Small Town Life, and the Delaware Archaeology Museum—will learn about the demanding trades and skills practiced by America's workforce at various periods in the nation's history. Guided tours will highlight the artisanship required of early American workers including pharmacists, machinists, printers, and other individuals who persevered through everyday hardships to build better lives for themselves and their families. Museum Square, located at 316 S. Governors Ave., between North St. and Bank Lane, in Dover, Delaware, is open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and most state holidays; and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free. Donations are accepted and appreciated. For additional information, call the Delaware Visitor Center at (302) 739-4266. |
| HCA notes, with sadness, the passing of two former employees—Harvey G. Shockley Jr. (d. July 25, 2008) and Martina Biddle (d. July 18, 2008). Shockley, of Magnolia, a stone and brick masonry contractor, worked on the restorations of the John Dickinson Plantation in the 1950s and the Old State House in the 1970s. He later served as a tour guide and night watchman at the Plantation.
Martina (Tina) Biddle, of Georgetown, worked for decades as a housekeeper and cook at Buena Vista and Woodburn where she served under five Delaware chief executives from Governor Peterson through Governor Carper. Biddle was known for baking hundreds of cookies during the holiday season and sharing them with her fellow staff members. |
