Mayor George Booth of Georgetown carrying the ceremonial hatchet for the Return Day celebration, a gathering on the Thursday after Election Day that dates back to 1791 when voters gathered in the county seat to learn the election results. Part of the documentation in Delaware's Local Legacies projects.

Delaware

The collections of the American Folklife Center include rich and varied material from Delaware that document the state's diverse folk traditions. Included among its unique recordings are folksongs and interviews with Delaware traditional musicians; African American banjo, guitar, and vocal music; and documentary interviews with duck hunters.

Collections

Finding Aid: View a complete list of our Delaware collections.

Local Legacies Collection: This project provides a "snapshot" of local culture as it was expressed in the year 2000. View a list of Delaware's Local Legacies projects.

Veterans History Project: Browse state collections from the Veterans History Project.

Songs of America: Browse an interactive state map for selected songs from the American Folklife Center’s collections, as well as songs from the Library’s Music Division and Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division.

Concert Webcast

Zionaires: African American gospel music from Delaware. Recorded at the Library of congress, July 24, 2008. [webcast and flyer] [catalog record]

Additional Resources

Folklife Resources: Find state folklife-related agencies, societies, archives, higher education programs, and more, in Folklife Sourcebook: A Directory of Folklife Resources in the United States.