Fort Delaware State Park

About Fort Delaware State Park

The Union Fortress was once used as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war and was registered in 1859 on the National Register of Historic Sites. Fort Delaware was the first state park in Delaware to be established in 1951 and one of the oldest state parks in the state.

Fort Delaware, a Union stronghold since 1859, once housed Confederate prisoners of war. It was originally built to protect the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia and was purchased by the state of Delaware from the federal government in 1947.

It was originally built to protect the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia and was purchased by the state of Delaware in 1947 from the federal government. Jitneys will transport ships from the island's docks to the granite and brick fortress on a jitney.

Costume re-enactors take us back to the summer of 1864, and the day is full of hands - about history.

Be there and help the blacksmith with the hammer and new parts for the cannon or work on the windows and the washing machine.

If you wish, you can bring a picnic lunch to the picnic area, and tables and barbecues are available.

There are food and concession stands all over the island, but take a day off and head to one of the many picnic spots in the park, such as the one on the east side. The Fort Delaware State Park Museum, which was built in 1864, houses artifacts from the islands "past as well as a museum of historical artifacts.

The Port Penn Interpretive Center is located on the east side of Fort Delaware State Park, south of the park entrance. We continue to the Fort and Memorial to the 2400 Confederate prisoners who died in the Civil War at Fort Wilmington, and to Fort Penn Cemetery.

The center offers a variety of shows and programs to explain the history of Fort Delaware, the city of Wilmington and its history as an important part of the Civil War. It offers self-guided walks through the scenic swamps that surround our town, as well as a walk around Fort Penn Cemetery.

Visit the laundry and meet Julia Gunning, one of the laundresses at the fort, and help with the 19th century style of clothes washing.

It's not just sinks and flat irons, there are also some interesting gossip stories, and you need a lot of elbow grease to learn how to use the scrubbing board properly.

Dozens of African Americans helped build and operate Fort Delaware during and after the Civil War. It is a story of the struggle and triumphs of slavery and an interesting look at the history of one of America's oldest and most important military installations.

Check out the rooms of the Battle Equipment Camp to see if you can find your sergeant at work. As Ordnance Sergeant he was responsible for all ammunition in the fortress. We talk to Edmund "Buck" Smith, the only regular soldier in the Army who was sent to Fort Delaware in the summer of 1864.

Soldiers practiced almost daily, sometimes for hours, and officers needed orderly formations that could respond to orders almost immediately, so soldiers had to practice.

Here you can learn and see why drilling was so important, and hear stories of escape attempts by the prisoners themselves. The methods of the prisoners of war ranged from daring and ingenious to downright foolish, from spectacular escapes to unsuccessful attempts.

Everyone enjoys good food, and the soldiers of the Civil War at Fort Delaware were no different, but you also learn about the difficulties faced by those who worked in the field and in the army camps, as well as those who worked here in the hospital. Recruited men from the kitchen come to watch the cooks and work colleagues prepare different kinds of food for their colleagues. Listen to the stories of soldiers and their wives and children as they share stories about their lives and experiences.