Museum to present program on Governor Ross

Governor William H.H. Ross (Photo courtesy of Milford Museum)

The Milford Museum American History Series continues with a program about Delaware Governor William H.H. Ross presented by Claudia Furnish Leister on Saturday, January 11, 1:00 p.m. at the Milford Public Library in Milford, Delaware. In this program Leister, retired Milford Museum director, will preview her soon to be published book about Governor William H.H. Ross.

As an antebellum Governor of Delaware, Ross was a slave owner in the Seaford area, as were his father and grandfather. Ross became a very controversial figure during the Civil War due to his Confederate sympathies.  Equally as important were the decisions made and the actions taken by Ross as a Delaware planter within the context of the impact of slavery, the declining soil fertility, the changing commodity markets, and the advent of the railroad.

 Leister grew up in Milford and later moved to Michigan where she earned a B.A. in English and a minor in Archaeology/Anthropology from Michigan State University. She returned to Delaware where she eventually became the Curator and Collections Manager for Delaware Historical and Cultural Affairs in 1980.

After retiring from the State of Delaware in 2011, she was invited to become a member of the Milford Museum Board. A year later, she was appointed as the first Executive Director. She had previously served as President of the Seaford Historical Society from 1991 to 2000. During her time as the Milford Museum President, she completed the first-ever total inventory of the collections, the computerization of the collections database, and the creation of new exhibits using modern methods and standards. She retired from the position in 2023 but continues to serve as a volunteer curator at the museum.

 Sponsored by the Milford Museum, these monthly programs focus on a variety of topics concerning local, state, and national history. These presentations are held on the second Saturday of each month, at 1:00 p.m., in the Milford Public Library. The library is located at 11 S.E. Front Street in Milford, Delaware. For more information, please contact the Museum at (302) 424-1080, [email protected]. These programs are offered through a generous grant from The Delaware Heritage Commission.

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