The Whale newspaper archives now housed at Rehoboth museum

The Rehoboth Beach Public Library has long been home to a collection of large, heavy, cloth-bound volumes, each simply labeled, “The Whale.”

While the books might resemble an old set of encyclopedias, they actually contain wholly intact copies of a local newspaper that spanned 20 years of Rehoboth and Lewes history.

Founded in 1975, The Whale was a local weekly paper that circulated throughout southern coastal Delaware. For two decades, its articles, columns, and editorials provided coverage spanning business, beach life and current events in Rehoboth Beach and Lewes.

Prior to founding the Cape Gazette newspaper in 1993, Dennis Forney and Trish Vernon worked for The Whale. Vernon was news editor; Forney was editor and assistant publisher.

In September 1992, the paper became The Daily Whale, circulating over 8,000 daily issues at 35 cents a copy. Ultimately, the paper ceased publication by the late 1990s.

To protect this trove of local history, the Rehoboth Beach Public Library board of trustees has transferred the complete collection of The Whale archives to the Rehoboth Beach Museum.

Previously treated as a reference collection, the volumes will be housed in the museum’s repository of historic Rehoboth collections, furthering its dedication to preserving regional information and records.

Heidi Nasstrom Evans, executive director, said she is thrilled to partner with the library and to have a full run of The Whale at the museum. She plans to have it digitized and uploaded to a new online collections management software system. 

This will provide researchers with easy access to a searchable version of the Cape Gazette's predecessor. Another full run of The Whale at the Delaware Public Archives is on microfiche.