Nathan Field and Benjamin Rapkin launched the Wilmington Historical Society in 2018. The University of Delaware graduates wanted to renew civic interest in the city and saw that Wilmingtonians were interested in developing a greater sense of community. Each month, the historical society has held a gathering at the local Chelsea Tavern during which community members share knowledge of the city’s past. Historians have presented on high school teachers who fought KKK propaganda in 1916 and presidential visits to Wilmington, among other subjects. While the historical society’s meetings have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organization has taken their gatherings online with a new podcast.
The first episode in the podcast series went live on April 17. Titled “Life in Colonial Wilmington“, the hour-long episode explores topics ranging from how Wilmington got its name to colonial taverns. Nathan Field described the episode as “a deep dive into Colonial Wilmington with incredible local historian Bill Knightly.” The Wilmington Historical Society plans to release new episodes bi-monthly.
The Wilmington Historical Society podcast is hosted on PodBean and is free to listen to.