Celebrating African American Rehoboth, 1690-1960

This groundbreaking exhibition marks the first comprehensive presentation of African American history in Rehoboth, documenting the previously untold stories and significant contributions of the Black community to the area’s development and cultural heritage across nearly three centuries.

“Celebrating African American Rehoboth” begins in the 1690s with recently discovered archaeological evidence of African burials at Avery’s Rest, the colonial home of John and Sarah Avery. The exhibit then chronicles the vibrant businesses, organizations, and individuals that shaped historic West Rehoboth during the 20th century, including the Malloy Hotel, featured in The Negro Travelers’ Green Book. A detailed diorama illustrates how the Rehoboth-Lewes Canal served as a physical boundary that racialized space in the early 20th century. West of the canal includes farms, churches, and the schools that served Black children until Rehoboth High integrated in the early 1960s–including the 1920s DuPont “Colored” School, Rehoboth School 200c. East of the canal, despite the segregated beach and boardwalk, Oswald Winchester made history in 1933 as the first Black lifeguard on the Rehoboth Beach Patrol. The exhibition brings these stories to life through oral history videos, an interactive tour of West Rehoboth, and other engaging interpretive content.