During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Delaware became the
center for American Methodism. Peter Spencer and Richard Allen soon founded
Methodist churches, the first independent African-American churches in the United States.
See a hymnal and other artifacts from Delaware's African-Methodist churches.
Despite the opportunities for Delaware's free-blacks, slavery
persisted in
parts of the state. Courageous anti-slavery advocates argued for its
abolishment and others like Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett actively aided slaves to
freedom. See the silver tray Wilmington's African-American community presented to
Thomas Garrett to thank him for being a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
During the Civil War, Delaware was a boarder state between the north and south,
with equally divided loyalties. See the Historical Society's excellent collection
of Civil War artifacts, including an extremely rare draft wheel.
