DOVER, DE — During the week of November 30, 2020, the Rehoboth-Beach-based Sussex Gardeners completed the installation of outdoor and indoor holiday decorations at the Zwaanendael Museum, located at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes, Delaware. Based on the theme, “Lighting the Way,” this year’s decorations utilize plant material and holiday objects to illustrate various sources of light including lanterns, lightships, lighthouses, starlight and luminarias. The museum’s decorations are presented in conjunction with Lewes Lights, a community event in which the city’s residents decorate their home exteriors for the holiday season.
Founded in 1937 as the Nassau Garden Committee, the 50-plus-member Sussex Gardeners brings together members of the community who have an interest in the fine art of gardening, landscape design, floral design and horticulture. The group’s community outreach includes programs in garden therapy, conservation and civic beautification.
The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the state’s first European colony, Swanendael, established by the Dutch along Hoorn Kill (present-day Lewes-Rehoboth Canal) in 1631. Designed by E. William Martin (architect of Legislative Hall and the Hall of Records in Dover), the museum is modeled after the town hall in Hoorn, the Netherlands, and features a stepped facade gable with carved stonework and decorated shutters.
Museum exhibits and presentations provide a showcase for Lewes-area maritime, military and social history. Current exhibits include “Delaware Railroads: Elegant Travel and Timely Transport” which explores the history of rail travel and transport in the First State; and “A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World” which tells the story of His Majesty’s Sloop of War DeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798.
The Zwaanendael Museum is open for free, 45-minute tours by reservation only from Wednesday through Saturday at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. For additional information about visiting the museum, go to history.delaware.gov/p1-reopening-info or call 302-645-1148.
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The Zwaanendael Museum
