Crime and punishment in early days of Lewes is May 2 topic

Lewes Historical Society will host a lecture on the foundations of the criminal justice system in early Lewes at 5 p.m., Thursday, May 2, at the Lewes History Museum, 101 Adams Ave., Lewes.

Guest speaker Katherine Henn, retired university history professor, will present “Why Lightning Struck the Courthouse and Other Court Quirks.” will take place on May 2 at 5 p.m. at the Lewes History Museum, located at 101 Adams Avenue.

During its early years, said Henn, the Lewes courts oversaw several remarkable cases that may astonish modern sensibilities.

“Colonists often came to the New World seeking an ideal society. But it soon emerged that not every citizen was an exemplar of ideal living. Before long, petitions began circulating for permission and funding for a court of law,” she said.

The whipping post was one of the first legal punishments instituted by the court. Henn said “[The whipping post] viewed at the time as both a spectator sport and a means of moral guidance. Fines and penalties served as more routine correctives, but stocks were also found to be handy and effective. Lastly, there were the gallows, used as a measure of last resort for the gravest crimes.”

Henn holds degrees from Drew University, the College of St. Elizabeth, and Seton Hall University. She has lectured for the Lewes Historical Society over the past 10 years and currently teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

There is a $5 admission charge per adult. Museum entry is free for Lewes Historical Society members.

For more information, go to historiclewes.org.