MILFORD, Del. - A presentation exploring the life and legacy of Delaware’s antebellum Governor William H.H. Ross will be held Saturday, May 31, at 1 p.m. at the Milford Public Library. The event is part of the Milford Museum's ongoing American History Series that was reschedule from earlier this year.
The talk will be given by Claudia Furnish Leister, former director of the Milford Museum, who is set to preview her upcoming book about Ross. A slave owner from the Seaford area and a controversial figure during the Civil War, Ross is known for his Confederate sympathies, which sharply divided opinions in Delaware at the time. His leadership and decisions as a planter reflect broader regional issues of the period, including the economic impact of slavery, soil decline, shifting markets and the rise of the railroad says the museum.
Ross’s family history in slavery and agriculture made his role during the Civil War especially complex. Leister's research aims to shed new light on Ross’s political and personal choices and their impact on Delaware's divided loyalties during the war.
Leister, who grew up in Milford and earned a degree in English and Archaeology/Anthropology from Michigan State University, has had a long career in museum and historical work. After returning to Delaware, she became Curator for Delaware Historical and Cultural Affairs in 1980. Her tenure as Milford Museum’s first executive director included a full inventory and modernization of its exhibits before she retired in 2023, but still helps as a volunteer curator.