Georgetown’s Return Day and the Confederate flag-flying Marvel Museum have several ties, but only “two or three” of the carriages traditionally used in the uniquely Sussex County celebration belong to the Georgetown Historical Society-run museum.
The Delaware Democratic Party issued a resolution in September encouraging candidates not to ride in the museum’s carriages in this year’s Return Day parade. However, according to Return Day Board President Debbie Jones, the vast majority of carriages used in the parade are privately owned.
In recent years, most candidates have opted to ride in wagons or convertible vehicles, or simply walk, she said. Others, such as longtime Sussex legislator Dave Wilson (R-Lincoln), secure their own carriages, according to Jones.
The last time Return Day was held, in 2018, “two or three” carriages from the Marvel Museum were used, Jones said. She expects the same this year.
The controversy:Georgetown votes to give Confederate flag-flying museum more than $24K
Return Day is a uniquely Sussex County celebration with a tradition of over 200 years, although it was not held only during World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Return Day celebration, political candidates come together following elections to “bury the hatchet,” with winners and losers traditionally riding together in horse-drawn carriages.
While Return Day is not a Georgetown Historical Society event, the event and the organization are related. The boards of directors for Return Day and the historical society share multiple members, including Jones, historical society President Jim Bowden, Joan Messick and Rosalie Walls. One man, Gary Wright, is on the boards of both the historical society and Return Day while also being a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
In 2007, the Delaware Grays Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 2068 entered into a verbal agreement with the historical society to erect and maintain the Confederate flag and monument. Since then, the historical society has refused repeated calls to remove the flag from groups like the NAACP.
It lost state funding several years ago due to the board’s refusal and, earlier this year, were greeted with opposition when requesting $24,000 from Georgetown. It ultimately received the money.
The Delaware Democratic Party’s resolution, according to Executive Director Travis Williams, “was kind of a values statement to say that we’re not willing to associate ourselves with the Confederate flag and the Marvel Museum.”
