DELAWARE From FREEWAYS To E-WAYS by Dave Tabler – American History, Delaware, Vignettes

Dave Tabler’s Delaware from Freeways to E-Ways presents a nonlinear kaleidoscope view of Delaware’s twentieth-century history, braiding together snapshots of the state through a variety of lenses.

By dissecting the history of the state’s education system, economy, politics, war, technology, social dynamics, religion, agriculture, and conservation of the natural world, this book becomes a patchwork quilt of Delaware’s contributions to recent American history.

Tabler strategically places historical images throughout the first half of the book to help paint a vivid picture of what Delaware life has been like across the years. The second half of the book then expounds on every snapshot, allowing the reader to pursue the parts that most interest them. Tabler concludes each of these deeper dives by describing the impacts on present-day Delaware and America. These threads of connection to current events help the reader find meaning within the overall arc of history.

The reader can feel Tabler’s passion for Delaware’s heritage in his storytelling lilt.

Sometimes his tone is delighted, such as when he explains the origin of the Punkin Chunkin competition. Other times, he’s awed, using lyrical language to describe the snow geese migrating over Delaware Bay, “Their soft honks echo across the refuge as they glide over the brackish tidal marsh.” He frequently highlights clashing perspectives between historical figures and organizations with the tone of a racetrack commentator. This energizes his depictions of the growth of the du Pont family or the conflict between suffragettes, politicians, and the community. Even heartbreak shapes Tabler’s words as he tells the story of John T. Hopkins, who lost his farm to eminent domain.

Tabler’s writing style offers an à la carte tour of Delawarean history, clearly supported by thorough research.

Each story can stand on its own as a vignette, and together they reveal myriad perspectives on the state’s character. The engaging storytelling may encourage readers to dig deeper into the subjects on their own, and Tabler’s mix of historical images with several AI renderings give context to the information.

Tabler excavates nuanced twentieth-century stories of Delaware with contagious fascination. Readers curious about the ways in which seemingly small events of the past are connected to lasting traditions in the present will find great interest in Tabler’s well-researched view of the state of Delaware.