Exhibits being constructed for Lewes History Museum

Watermen and wrecks. Former mayors and community leaders. Agriculture and the railroad. School years and healthcare. These are all components of the rich history of Lewes - and exhibits telling about each will soon be on display in the Main Exhibit Hall of the Lewes History Museum at the new Margaret H. Rollins Community Center.

"We will now be able to tell the stories of Lewes through artifacts, documents, artwork, and photos in ways we never could before," said Michael DiPaolo, executive director of the Lewes Historical Society. The exhibits will be open to the public following an official ribbon cutting, scheduled for 10 a.m., Monday, July 3.

One of the intriguing new exhibits, funded by a gift from Harvard Business Systems, will be an electronic presentation of the contributions of generations of former Lewes city officials and citizen volunteers. "Everything important ever done in Lewes was the result of its community leaders, often working in close public-private partnerships and requiring the final guidance and approval of elected officials," said DiPaolo.

The Community Leaders of Lewes exhibit will feature old film footage and recent recordings now being done, tracing the history and contributions of former city leaders. Other permanent exhibits will include ones celebrating Lewes' African-American community, its rich history as a major port of call and the earliest Native American peoples of the Lewes region.

The first exhibit in the new Rotating Exhibit Gallery will feature the extensive Delaware map collection of Preston Schell. A separate Children's Wing is also under development, to open later in the year.

The exhibit design and fabrication work is being done under the direction of Art of Area Design Inc., a nationally renowned design firm that provides creative services for the diverse areas of trade shows and museum exhibits.