ALBANY, NY (08/31/2011)(readMedia)-- Presenting a living example of the Netherlands' extensive reach in the New World, the Albany, New York-based New Netherland Institute will hold its 2011 conference for the first time in Delaware, at the southern end of the historic New Netherland Colony, on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16 and 17.

The region, at one time called New Sweden, included parts of the present-day states of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The first Swedish settlement in North America was Fort Christina, built in 1638. It is preserved as Fort Christina State Park on East 7th Street in Wilmington, along with a replica of the Kalmar Nyckel, one of the first ships to sail into Delaware Bay in late March 1638.

The 34th Annual New Netherland Seminar, "The Dutch on the Delaware: New Netherland 's South River" will be held at the Buena Vista Conference Center, New Castle, Delaware.

"Most people equate New Netherland with the North (Hudson) River," Charles T. Gehring, director of the New Netherland Research Center (NNRC), pointed out. "However, the South (Delaware) River was strategically just as important. This seminar is an opportunity to discover more about this often neglected region of the Dutch colony."

Craig R. Lukezic, archaeologist with the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, said, "Although the Dutch colonies were seminal to Delaware, we have very little tangible evidence that remains from them. Perhaps the tree rows that grow along the old lots lines in Lewes are the only standing remains of the colonial Dutch in the state."

Looking ahead, Lukezic added, "While we have some tantalizing archaeological glimpses of the Dutch in New Castle, it is clear the archaeological study of the colonial Dutch along the South River is just beginning."

Speakers and their subjects

Speakers and their topics will be:

• Frans R. E. Blom, assistant professor in the Dutch Language and Culture Department at the University of Amsterdam, will speak on "Selling the South River: The Cultural Industry of Amsterdam's Emigration Propaganda."

• David A. Furlow, partner, Thompson & Knight LLP of Houston, Texas, and archaeologist Lukezic will set the stage for the colonists with "The Archaeological Footprint of the Dutch and Swedes in the Delaware River Valley."

• Evan Haefeli, associate professor of history at Columbia University, will talk about "Religious Tolerance from New Amstel to Pennsylvania: Connections and Contrasts."

• Samuel W. Heed, Esq., senior historian and director of education of the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, will give an account of "Peter Minuit and New Sweden's Rocky Relationship with New Netherland."

• Christian J. Koot, assistant professor of history at Towson University, Towson, Md., will speak on "Spanning the Peninsula: Augustine Herrman, the South River, and Anglo–Dutch Overland trade in the Northern Chesapeake."

• Henk Looijesteijn, postdoctoral researcher at the International Institute of Social History, will give his analysis of "Settling the South River: Amsterdam's settling policy, egalitarian democracy and liberty of conscience, 1657–1664."

• Len Tantillo of upstate New York, fine artist of historical and marine paintings, will talk about his methods in developing the painting "The Rise and Fall of Fort Casimir, an Architectural and Artistic Interpretation."

• Mark L. Thompson, assistant professor of American Studies at the University of Groningen, will describe "The Limits of New Netherland: The Dutch in the Seventeenth-Century Delaware Valley." In America, Thompson taught at Louisiana State University.

The New Netherland Institute

The New Netherland Institute (NNI), a membership organization that supports the New Netherland Research Center, raises funds and administers grants such as the Dutch government's 2009 award that made possible the creation of the New Netherland Research Center at the New York State Library in Albany.

The NNI works with researchers and educators and provides internships and awards such as the Hendricks Award, which will be presented at the seminar. The annual award is given for a manuscript relating to the Dutch colonial experience in North America.

Seminar registration

Registration at the Buena Vista Conference Center for the seminar is at 9 a.m. both days. The seminar concludes Saturday with a tour of Old New Castle beginning at 2:30 p.m.

The seminar fee of $95 includes lunch both days. The cost for students with ID is $35. On-site registration is $110.

The conference reception and dinner Friday evening will be held at the Hilton Wilmington/Christiana.

More information and registration are available by calling (518) 486-4815, visiting the website www.newnetherlandinstitute.org or sending an email to nyslfnn@mail.nysed.gov.

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The New Netherland Research Center

The NNRC is a partnership of the New Netherland Institute and the New York State Office of Cultural Education, which is comprised of the State Library, the State Archives, the State Museum and the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting. Its purpose is to promote and support scholarship and educational opportunities for teachers, students and the public. Since 1974 it has worked to preserve, transcribe, translate and publish some 12,000 original 17th-century documents that tell about the Dutch colonial presence in North America.

Posted Wednesday August 31, 2011 at 04:27 pm by New Netherland Institute
Last Updated Monday September 05, 2011 at 10:32 pm