Fort Delaware State Park
Fort Delaware State Park
Location:On Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River between DE and NJ, 20 milessouth of Wilmington. Access is byferry located on Clinton Street in Delaware City; Delaware City is onthe north side of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal off Rte 9.
Facilities:Civil War sites and exhibits, picnic area (é), nature trails, concession stand, restrooms (é), bird observation platform.
Activities:Interpretive programs, picnicking, birdwatching.
Special Features:Originally built in 1859 to protect the ports of Wilmington andPhiladelphia, Fort Delaware served as a makeshift prison for 32,300Confederate soldiers and Union deserters during the Civil War. Disease,malnutrition, and exposure killed more than 2,400 prisoners; many wereburied across the river at what is now Finn's Point National Cemetery.(Fort Delaware closed in 2006 for historic preservation but is expectedto reopen in the Spring of2007.)
Address:PO Box 170
Delaware City, DE 19706
Phone:302-834-7941
Fax:302-836-2539
Web: www.destateparks.com/fdsp
Size: 288 acres.
See other parks in Delaware.