The MG Wm Duncan Memorial Lecture series.
Saturday, February 10th, 2024. Doors open at noon with the presentation at 1 PM. First Regiment Road, Wilmington, DE
Our Presentation: The slide-illustrated lecture explores the life of Louise Crowninshield, the sister of Henry Francis du Pont. Raised at Winterthur, she and her brother became well known collectors and scholars of Americana. While H.F. was forming what would later become Winterthur Museum, Louise was helping to lay the groundwork for what would become America’s historic preservation movement. Her work is recognized as having been of key importance to organizations such as the National Park Service and the Salem Maritime Complex.
To honor Ms. Crowninshield, the Louise Dupont Crowninshield Award was established by the National Trust to recognize deserving persons who have contributed to the excellence in historic preservation. Louise was a major contributor in the creation of the historic preservation movement. Yet, many know very little about the woman for whom this award is named. Not only was she actively involved in the creation of the historic preservation movement, she worked tirelessly on behalf of the National Council of Historic Sites and Buildings as it struggled to establish what later became the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Mrs. Crowninshield’s story is more interesting if you have a face to put with a name and a bit of background about her personality.
Our Author: Kim Burdick, one of Delaware’s prominent historians, will tell the fascinating story of Crowninshield. Kim has served in leadership positions such as the Delaware Humanities Council, Founder & Chairman of the American Revolution Round Table of Delaware, and president of the of the George Washington Society of Delaware. She is an active member of the American Friends of Lafayette, and the national Washington-Rochambeau Association. She has served as project director for some of Delaware’s most innovative public history programs including the nationally recognized June 2014 symposium entitled "George Washington: Man, and Myth"; the Delaware Memorial at Gettysburg; and a one-act traveling play, entitled “Delaware Ghosts.” She is the author of "Revolutionary Delaware: Independence in the First State". Kim and is the resident curator of the Hale Byrnes House that served as George Washington’s headquarters when he and his staff planned the defense of Wilmington.