Evening star., 1938-06-12
The Tercentenary
of Delaware.
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

GAAC 6OVCASuAlTllkc Vi oCVCIdl EStdkCo VI
the Union are taking the opportunity
late this month to give demonstration
o. international good will to two Euro
pean countries which will afford an In
teresting contrast between our feeling
toward republics and democracies and
our attitude toward relationships. This
any country, as we will merely be honor
ing the 300th anniversary of an historic
event in Americas development, the
Delaware River In 1898 and the first
ent States of Delaware, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey.
To join with committees appointed by
Congress and by several States, ofacial
parties from Sweden and Finland will
land at Wilmington, Del, on June 26
and participate in series of commeno-
rative events lasting several days. From
Sweden will come the Crown Prince of
that nation and a party of leaders in
numerous official and other walks of
life. From Finland will come Foreign
Minister Rudolf Holsti and similar
party. Their landing from the steam
ship Kungsholm on the evening of June
26 will be at the exact spot in Whining
ton where the first settlers of 1888 set
foot to establish Fort Christina (named
for the Swedish Queen and daughter of
Gustavus Adolphus) and founded the
colony of New Sweden. This event took
place forty-four years before William
Penn visited the New World. 1t has
attracted less attention in our history
books than many of the other early
settlements because New Sweden re-
manned less than twenty years Swedish
colony and then passed successfully
under the rule of the Netherlands and
of Great Britain within another decade.
Finland has been invited by Congress
to participate in the tercentenary events
because in 1888 that country was part
of Sweden and probably half or more OF
the first sturdy Scandinavian colonists
came from Finland. These settlers and
several shiploads who followed in sue
ceeding years built the first homes along
both shores of the Delaware River in
three States, and some of them moved
into Maryland and Virginia on the
south and New Amsterdam and New
England to the north. Pennsylvania still
does much honor to the memory of John
Morton, signer of the Declaration of
Independence, who was descended from
a Scandinavian pioneer. Maryland SIM
ilarly honors the name of John Hanson,
a President of the Continental Con-
gress, whose grandfather came to Della
ware from Sweden and crossed into
Maryland to found a large family.
Thomas Stone, another signer of the
Declaration, was a descendant on his
mothers side from the first Hanson.
The first days of the American visit
of Swedens Crown Prince and Finlands
foreign minister will be marked by
series of ceremonials. A park has been
created at the very wharf of stones"
where the first Scandinavians landed,
and the Crown Prince will dedicate
monument to mark the spot. 1t is To-
Gated near the confluence of the Brandy
wine and Christina Rivers with the
Delaware in the city OF Wilmington. At
Chester, Pa, Minister Holsti will pre-
sent from the republic of Finland a
monument of red Finnish granite, carved
by the sculptor Vaino Aaltonen, to marx
the area where three hundred years ago
a group of pioneers named their settle
ment Finland" These dedications will,
take place on June az. On the following
day the distinguished guests will be en-
tertained in and around Philadelphia.
Tinicum Island. near Philadelphia,
was the site of the residence Of the
Governor of New Sweden during most
of the official life of the settlements as
Swedish territory, and this island has
been made into park by the Swedish
Colonial Society and will be presented
to the State of Pennsylvania on June 20.
Spots of similarly historic interest In
New Jersey, along the east shore of the
Delaware. will be visited. One town
there still bears the name of Swedes-
boro. Another small settlement in that
State is Mullica Hill, derived from the
earlier Finnish world mullikka, meaning
heifer, and indicating its foundingfby q
farmer from Finland.
\ X
A committee of fifteen Senators and
Representatives has been named by
Congress to welcome the Scandinavian
visitors, and the Governor of each State
along the Delaware has appointed q
committee for similar purposes. Mary
land also has a committee which will
welcome the visitors to the old John
Hanson home at Mulberry Grove, not
far from Washington, and to Oxon Hill,
where Hanson died shortly after the
Revolutionary War had been won and
the Nation formed partly through his
efforts. While these events are under
way in the East, several other States in
the Middle West and elsewhere will be
the scene of public meetings, picnics
and other events where Americans of
Scandinavian descent will join in hon.
oring the first American pioneers of
their race.
The Delaware tercentenary celebra-
tions have proved of especial interest to
stamp collectors because three nations
have issued commemorative stamps.
That of the United States, three-cent
stamp bearing a picture entitled Land
ing of the Swedes and Firms" was issued
late in May and is already in use., Swe-
den has issued series of four colorful
stamps and Finland is about to offer
a 31a -markka commemorative bearing
in English the words COLONIZATION of
Delaware" making it one of the rare
stamps worded in language other than
that of the issuing country
After four days of programmed events
at points along the Delaware River, the
visiting dignitaries will be entertained
in Washington and other cities. Presi-
dent Roosevelt has invited the Crown
Prince and Princess of Sweden and
others to be guests at his home at HYDE
Park, New York. Secretary of State Hull
will welcome the visitors at the National
Capital. A number of the visitors will
make trips into various parts of the
United States. One of the visitors from
5S~~1- T.