Located at 102 king’s highway, Delaware, United States, Zwaanendael Museum was created in honor of Delaware’s first European colony in 1631. It was a showcase of Lewes area maritime military and social industry.
Features of the museum building are from the 17th-century Dutch elements. A stepped facade gable has terra cotta roof tiles, carved stonework, and decorated shelters modeled after the old city hall in Hoorn, Netherlands. On the top of the building is a statue of David Peterson de Vries, an expedition leader who founded swanendael.
The face of the building is decorated with sandstone cravings and the coat of arms of the city of Hoorn. Between 1998 to 2000, the museum building was restored; the red tile roof was replaced, and the heavy wooden front doors were rebuilt.
The museum has been expanded and has taken over the library room on the first floor. Exhibits at the museum show the history of Sussex county by telling stories of the community that lived along the Delawares southeastern coast.
Zwaanendael Museum has the following exhibits; local history, shipwrecks, and lighthouses. Also included; history of bombardment of Lewes by the British in the war of 1812, pilots of the Delaware river bay, and the Delaware coastline.
The most intriguing exhibits are the Firji Merman, a monkey head sewn onto a fish body made in China in the nineteenth century. It was loaned to the museum by a local family, the Martins Family, in the 1940s. The museum later bought the exhibit, and it has since been displayed.
Zwaanendael Museum is administered by an agency of the State of Delaware, Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Did you know that the first settlers in Delaware were Dutch? If you are interested in learning more about the history of the origin of the Delaware people, visit Zawaanendael Museum!
13 min (8.2 miles)
via U.S. 9 E and Savannah Rd
Fastest route, the usual traffic
Backyard Works Inc
26822 Lewes Georgetown Hwy, Harbeson, DE 19951, United States
Head north toward Sonny Blvd
387 ft
Turn left onto Sonny Blvd
72 ft
Turn right onto U.S. 9 E
5.5 mi
Continue straight onto US-9 BUS N/Savannah Rd
Destination will be on the right
2.7 mi
Zwaanendael Museum
102 Kings Hwy, Lewes, DE 19958, United States