Carol Crane - F Is for First State: A Delaware Alphabet

A Delaware Alphabet

Beginning readers will enjoy the simple rhymes while older children discover facts about each topic letter in the sidebar expository. State symbols such as the Blue Hen Chicken and peach blossom speak to the character and traditions that formed the state.

F is for the First State
first to confirm our Constitution.
F is also for our Flag,
with honored colors in our nation.

Illustrator Elizabeth Traynor watercolor paintings provide the perfect backdrop to author and historian Carol Cranes poetry and prose.

A Delaware Alphabet

Written by Carol Crane and Illustrated by Elizabeth Traynor

Delaware is the First State and my editor
Denise Alekseev has been number one for me.
A huge thank you. Also, to my grandson Bryan, who traveled
with me throughout Delaware gathering information.
CAROL

To Alan Brown and Brian Scatasti,
without whom this book would not have been possible.
You are the next wave of talent,
and it has been a privilege to work with you.

And for Beau, so that you will remember what you knew first.
ELIZABETH

The American holly was adopted as Delawares state tree on May 1, 1939. This tree can reach heights of 60 feet in Delaware and elsewhere up to 100 feet tall.

Since ancient times it has been used as a decorative symbol of the winter holiday season. Sussex County became known as the Land of Holly, and Charles G. Jones Sr. became known as Jones, the Holly Wreath Man. He saw an opportunity to market holly wreaths in the United States and in numerous foreign countries. This industry helped many rural families earn income during the 1930s.

A is for American holly treebright red berries and leaves of green.

As a symbol of our state, is it something you have seen?

In 1939 the Blue Hen chicken was adopted as the official Delaware state bird. The history of the bird in the state goes back to the Revolutionary War. Delaware soldiers were known as the fighting Blue Hens. Storytellers compared the valiant soldiers to the bird through the soldiers military wear and bearing: blue coats, leather hats, high peaks adorned with red feather plumes, and their marching with great precision.

Over the years the Blue Hen chicken has been used as a symbol for newspapers, magazines, and political campaigns.

Fighting hearts and feathers of blue, the Blue Hen Chicken is our B.

It is the official Delaware state bird, a symbol of the brave and free.

What United States canal carries more tonnage of freight and goods than the Suez or Panama Canal? It is the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal! It took years to raise the money to dig the 14 mile lock canal. What began as a dream in the 1600s did not come true until the canal opened in 1829.

The canal connected Back Creek in Maryland to St. Georges Meadow in Delaware. This shortcut eliminated a 300-mile, dangerous trip around the peninsula for farmers, merchants, and visitors. Cargo such as fruit and vegetables could arrive fresher. Passengers could travel between Baltimore and Philadelphia in less than a day. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal continues to be a mode of transportation in Delaware.

There were few paved roads in the United States as the twentieth century began. In 1908 T. Coleman du Pont, a multimillionaire offered to build a modern highway the length of Delaware. It became the first divided highway in the world.

C will be the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, an old system of transportation.

A shortcut for business or pleasure, a canal still in operation.

In the 1700s civic leader William Penn ordered that a square be laid out in Dover. It was called the Green. Here statesmen from Delaware gathered a Continental Regiment and voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Citizens celebrated the reading of the Declaration of Independence here. The Green has become the center of life for the county seat and state capital.

The Delaware State House was the first permanent capitol building in Dover and was located on the Green. It is now a museum. Here you can see a gilt sunflower ceiling medallion and a geometrical grand staircase.

In 1933 Legislative Hall, new the state capitol building, became the home of Delawares 62 legislators. It also contains the chambers for the senate, the house of representatives, and is the governors ceremonial office. The Delaware Liberty Bell is located on the lawn of Legislative Hall.

Laws and rules for all our citizens are guaranteed and we agree, they are made here at our state capital. Dover, Delaware is our D.

This enchanted fairyland is on the grounds of Winterthur. Children and adults will find fantastic worlds to explore at the Enchanted Woods. Here imaginary friends have Story Stones, a Troll Bridge, S-s-s Serpentine Path, Water Edge Fairie Cottage, an Acorn Tearoom, and many other creative make-believe places where children and adults can enjoy the beauty and playfulness of Oak Hill.

The historic Winterthur estate, located just outside Wilmington, was home to Henry Francis du Pont. Du Pont was an antique collector who established the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library. The Winterthur Museum is home to china dinnerware that was made for George Washington.

Enchanted Woods is our E, the home of woodland fairy folks.

A garden of magic and mystery, charming all ages under the oaks.

John Dickinson was a delegate from Delaware at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. He had written letters and articles opposing British rule and defending the rights of Americans. He presided over the convention. When the new Constitution was submitted to the states for ratification, Delaware was the first of the 13 original states to ratify the Constitution of the United States. The unanimous ratification took place in Dover and Delaware became The First State of the new federal union. As the first state to ratify the Constitution, Delaware was given the honor to be in the lead position in national events such as parades and presidential inaugurations.

The Delaware Flag was adopted as the state flag on July 24, 1913. The colors of the flag represent and honor those colors in the uniform of General George Washington.

Below the diamond are the words December 7, 1787,the date Delaware ratified the Constitution. Inside the diamond, Delaware pays tribute to the Revolutionary War soldiers, and also shows the importance of the farmer, the ox, the wheat sheaf, corn, a ship, and water. The words Liberty and Independence appear on a banner near the bottom of the diamond.