MILFORD Del.- This month's program at the Milford Public Library called The Kalmar Nyckel. This lecture will tell the story of the original and replica and the history behind them. This program is a part of the American History Series and will take place on Saturday Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. and presented by Bill Hutchison.
The Kalmar Nyckel left Sweden in 1637 to establish the first permanent European colony in the Delaware Valley which is now Wilmington, Delaware. The original ship would make more crossings of the Atlantic then any other colonizing ship. The original ship sunk in 1652, which led to the replica being made in 1998. This replica has been sailing for 26 years and is the official tall ship of the Delaware and tells the story of the founding of the colony of New Sweden.
Bill Hutchison started teaching social studies in the Capital school district in Dover in 1969, became an associate principal in 1999 and retired in 2004. On top of this Hutchison also taught classes at local universities. He says he still had the love for social studies, so after retiring, he went on to make teaching materials for social studies and volunteer with the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation.