1950s PROFILE OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE "THE DELAWARE STORY" 54444

The Diamond State Telephone Company presents “The Delaware Story” — “the story of a free people in a free land.” The 1950s color film provides the viewer with historical, economic, and cultural information on the “Diamond State” (a nickname bestowed by Thomas Jefferson, we’re told at mark 00:40). Through color illustrations the film discusses the Native Americans who once called the area home (mark 01:07), the destruction of a 1631 Dutch Colony, and the development of other colonies in the region by Dutch and Swedish settlers. We see Old Swedes Church (Holy Trinity Church), consecrated in 1699 in Wilmington, at mark 02:45, and we look at drawings of some early log cabins before learning about the role Caesar Rodney played President of Delaware during most of the American Revolution (mark 03:55), as well as the colony’s role during the war and eventual statehood. There is talk of Delaware’s spiritual heritage with unfolding scenes from nature and various places of worship. Kids and adults are shown fishing, playing at the beach, or enjoying time at amusement parks at mark 08:00 as the refers to the state as “the nation’s summer capital.” The film touts Delaware’s art culture by showing us the Wilmington Art Center (mark 08:37) and later re-enactments from Colonial life before looking at some of its rich architectural designs starting near mark 09:45. In praising the state’s dedication to education, students stroll the grounds at the University of Delaware (mark 11:18) and Delaware State College, and we later learn of the state’s rich history of material trade (mark 12:05). At mark 14:25 the film tells us the history of the first telephone service in Delaware, dating to 1878, before reviewing various industries that call “The First State” home, as well as small, local businesses (mark 17:50) as we see scenes from bakeries, jewelry stores, and other shops, as well as farms that produce countless crops and costal waters that provide seafood (mark 19:35). Cars speed across the Delaware Memorial Bridge (mark 21:28) as the picture changes its focus to transportation and its population boom.

Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you'd like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below.


This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com