Above: A Prime Hook cluster of mistletoe. Photo Kerry Wixsted/Flickr Each Delaware holiday season, from the late 1800s through the early 1900s, mistletoe sprigs would appear statewide in markets and fruit stands, ready to be hung for cheerful décor and stolen kisses. However, before holiday revelers could display these delicate sprigs, seasonal workers had to painstakingly harvest…
A shadow loomed over the jolly spirit as the Christmas season of 1907 approached in Delaware. Tuberculosis, a deadly disease that had claimed 56,770 lives across the United States in 1905, was still ravaging communities. In Wilmington alone, the disease known as “consumption” was responsible for 150-200 fatalities annually. While families prepared for holiday gatherings,…
Above: A member of the congregation lights a candle during a midnight mass vigil at a Russian Orthodox church. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Delaware’s Christmas landscape is a rich blend of diverse traditions, with Orthodox Christian groups—Greek, Ukrainian, and Russian—contributing a distinct layer. Early 20th century immigrants established these communities and have maintained their unique religious…
The reedbird journeyed from a prized delicacy in 19th-century Delaware to an agricultural pest, ultimately gaining federal protection.
