The Old State House

At the beginning of the month, I attended "First Saturday in the First State." The event, held in Dover, DE, is designed to educate and entertain attendee about historical events in Delaware's history. There are many different things for visitors to choose from and participate in. One event that I attended was held in Delaware's Old State House.

The state house was built from 1787 to 1791. It housed the Delaware state court, state senate and house, in addition to the Kent County governing body. 

As I was given a tour of the building, I noticed a few interesting and somewhat odd points of interest. One of the first things I spotted when entering the building were the fireplaces. They weren't anything special. The thing that caught my eye, however, was the number of fire places. 

At this point, I should mention the layout of the Old State House. The main floor housed the courtroom. Congress met on the second floor. Meeting rooms were also located upstairs that was used by both congress and the county. The basement met the rest of the state and county needs. (The basement is currently home to historical park staff and is off limits to visitors.) Visitors enter and exit the building via the courtroom.

The fireplaces were located on each side of the courtroom. When I first noticed this, I wondered why two first places were necessary. However, when I went upstairs, it began to make more sense. The upstairs was split into two halves. One side was the senate and one meeting room. The other was the house and another meeting room. The first places were placed so each room received benefit from them. Pretty logically for a building that didn't have central heating.

The next thing I noticed was the staircase, or should I say, staircases. The staircases were located at the back of the courtroom, on either side of the entrance.bases started close to the walls. They formed a half spiral at the base and met three quarters of the way up to the second floor, just over the doorway. A single staircase then continued up the few remaining steps. During my tour of the building, I was told that the stairs were self-supporting. As I examined them for myself, I was surprised to find it so. I was also struck with the width of the staircases. They were wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

The other thing I noticed about the Old State House were the plain, unpainted, wood floors. Their appearance conjured up images of dust laden work and riding boots stomping and scuffling into the courtroom to watch the latest trial.

As I continue to ponder the Old State House, I imagine farmers and tradesmen ascending the staircases, discussing the latest bill before them in the senate or house. I can almost see horse outside, tied to a hitching post, swishing at flies with their tails. I imagine congressmen passionately debating a bill. I can hear the judge pound his gavel, calling the courtroom to order. I imagine the Old State House as it might have possibly been.

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For more information of the Old Delaware State House, visit...

delaware.gov

delawarebeautiful.com

visitdelaware.com

Abraham Lincoln's Whistle Stop Tour

Most Americans have a general knowledge of Abraham Lincoln's life story. He was born in Kentucky, and lived in both Indiana and Kentucky. Lincoln's accomplishments include election to both state and federal legislative bodies. He was a lawyer, husband, and father.  Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. Because of his election, the southern states seceded from the Union, and the Civil War erupted. Lincoln was elected to a second term in office, but it was cut short by his assassination.

During my research of Lincoln's life and politics, I came across the story of Lincoln's arrival to Washington as president-elect. Two different entities, Detective Allen Pinkerton of Chicago and William and Frederick Seward, had each independently uncovered a plot to assassinate Lincoln as he traveled through Baltimore, Maryland, to Washington D.C. Lincoln had been making his way from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington D.C., stopping in varies cities and making speeches. Upon receiving this intelligence while in Philadelphia, Lincoln decides to fulfill his promised appointments in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.


After fulfilling his commitments in Harrisburg, Lincoln, accompanied by two friends and wearing a disguise, boarded the train for Washington on February 22, 1861, at 11 p.m. Lincoln's departure was hours ahead of schedule. Lincoln and his companions arrived undetected in Washington the next morning about the time he was scheduled to leave Harrisburg.

During the trip from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., Lincoln gave speeches enlightening his supporters and the nation about what his policies were going to be. Prior to this, Lincoln had not campaigned around the nation. He had instead followed the common practice of the day to stay at home and let supporters come to him. Delegates of his party were designated to travel and let the country know what the party stood for.

Lincoln's whistle stop tour was the first time Lincoln himself had said anything to the nation about his policies. One local newspaper in Delaware State commented on both Lincoln's policies and his safety.

           "We are on the verge of the inauguration, and that silence, on political
       subjects, so long observed, by Mr. Lincoln, must soon end.

           "The fate of generations yet unborn may hang upon the sentiments he may
       utter. We have a hope that Mr. Lincoln will rise to the highest platform of
       patriotism.

           "In the meantime there is, in some quarters, an earnest effort to away him and
       his opinions. He can have no safety but in his own and the discretion of patriots."

                                                                          Smyrna Times (Delaware)

                                                                               February 28, 1861

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For further reading, visit...

Lincoln arrives in Washington - history.com

Lincoln arrives in Washington - sonofthesouth.net

Lincoln's Whistle Stop Tour

Picture of Lincoln

The Washington of Lincoln's Day

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The 1860 Republican Platform

Campaign and Election of 1860

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Biography of Abraham Lincoln

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Delaware Public Archives, Dover, DE

Graves in Unexpected Places

This past week, I made an unexpected discovery. I happened to find the grave marker for Rev. Richard Whatcoat. I was visiting the Wesley Methodist Church in Dover, DE when I stumbled upon the grave marker.  It was hanging on the wall in one of the church's hallways.

Richard Whatcoat's grave marker
Special thanks to Wesley Methodist Church

What interested me in this piece of stone wasn't what was written on it, but the explanation across the hallway that accompanied the stone.

A brief history of Richard Whatcoat
Special thanks to Wesley Methodist Church

Now, I must admit, I would not have known who Richard Whatcoat was if an explanation had not been available. And I probably would not have been very interested in him even after I read about him if I hadn't recognized some other names like Francis Asbury, John Wesley, Thomas Coke, and the young Methodist Church.

For those in Protestant churches, John Wesley is a recognizable name from 1700 and 1800's. Wesley was known for his preaching and founding Methodist Societies, starting in England and then spreading to the Amereican colonies. The men who helped John Wesley spread Methodism in colonies are not as well-known. Francis Asbury, Thomas Coke, and Richard Whatcoat were three of those men. They also served as the first three bishops of the Methodist Church in America. Whatcoat and Asbury were also traveling companions as they spread the Christian Gospel throughout the colonies and the new western frontier.

At the end of Whatcoat's life, he became ill and stayed with a friend of his in Dover, DE. When he died, he was buried under the pulpit of Wesley Church in Dover where he had preached many times. The grave marker was put on Whatcoat's grave. When the church moved several years later, they grave marker was moved also, but Whatcoat's body remained. A monument was later erected in the graveyard near the old church.

The graveyard at North Street near Slaughter Street

A special thanks to Wesley Methodist Church in Dover, DE for allowing me to photograph Richard Whatcoat's grave marker located inside their church.

For further reading about Richard Whatcoat...
Whatcoat United Methodist Church - Who Was Whatcoat?
Richard Whatcoat - www.FrancisAsbury.org

The Nostalgia of Old Buildings

Old buildings have always had a special appeal. There is something about them that conjures up questions and stories about who might have lived or worked there, what events might have happened, and what the walls would say if they could talk. Old buildings appeal to one's imagination and curiosity.

Growing up in Central Washington state, most of the old - I should say historic - buildings I saw that were in good condition were the ones found in museums or were government offices. Central Washington is farm country. Most of the houses, mainly farmhouses, built between the 1850's and early 1930's, when Washington became a state and settlers began to move in to the area, have been left to decay. There are not a lot of historic houses and buildings for schoolchildren, history lovers, and dreamers to tour outside of the local museum.
  
Recently, I moved to the East Coast, where old, historic buildings appear to be, well, everywhere. The center of each town is home to several blocks of buildings that appear to date back at least one hundred years. Many buildings have signs in front of them telling the history and significance of the building.

One building in my town with such a sign provokes questions and fanciful stories every time I pass it. The yellow, three-story, brick building was built as an academy. Over the years, the building has served many different purposes.

While I don't know any more about the building than the information on the sign, I can't help making up my  own stories about the building. I imagine that it was once a girls boarding school with mischievous youngsters who liked to play tricks on their spectacle-wearing, spinster, school marms. (I probably have a preteen book to thank for that image.) I also see a shy, scared, little first-grader who is huddled with her bunny in the corner, wishing she was at home with her parents. I can visualize girls running about the grounds, laughing and playing games.

As the years progress, I can see the girls being sent home because funds for the school have run out. Their faces are long, as they wave a sad farewell to each other. I imagine the school sitting empty for many years, accumulating dust and cobwebs. Occasionally, local pranksters sneak into the building to look for ghosts or break a window. Finally, the community takes notice of the old, forgotten building. They clean it up, give it several new layers of paint, and open it up as a community center and recreational hangout. Today, it is the historical center for town.

Now, is that what really happened in the old academy? Most likely not. In fact, if one of the city historians knew what I imagine about the building, they would probably be appalled at the tale I conjured up. Never-the-less, it is still fun to imagine what might have happened in the old, historic building. Now, if only the walls could talk.