Fort Delaware | military, fortification, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, historic landmark

 military, fortification, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, historic landmark

Delaware City, DE 19706
(877) 987-2757
destateparks.com/History/FortDelaware

Acquired from the state of Delaware in 1813 and named for the state of Delaware, Fort Delaware was built as part of the Third-System of coastal fortifications beginning in 1833 to protect Wilmington and Philadelphia.

As of 1851, it was intended to be armed with thirty-two 42-pounder guns, thirty-two 32-pounder guns, fifty-four 24-pounder guns, twenty flank howitzers, ten 8" heavy seacoast howitzers, one 13" mortar and two 10" heavy mortars for a total of 151 guns.

It was used as a prison camp for most of the Civil War. There are tours available. One of the highlights of the tours is a live-firing of one of the fort's 8-inch columbiads.

Given the remote location, gloomy casemates and the unpleasant fact that 2,600 Confederate and Union soldiers dies here from wounds and disease during the Civil War, the fort is widely reported to be haunted and has been featured on several episodes of the Sci-Fi channel series "Ghost Hunters."

Fort Delaware has an impressive array of Third System artillery, including at least 8 32-pounder and 42-pounder seacoast guns mounted on their carriages in the lower casemates as well as a functioning 9-inch columbiad.

Little mention is made of the fort's later Endicott period, but that can be forgiven due to the state's ongoing interpretive work at Fort Mott and excellent museum to the later history of coastal defense at Fort Miles on Cape Henlopen.

Formerly home to the 3rd Company, Coast Defenses of the Delaware from 1919 to 1922 and elements of 7th Coast Artillery from 1924 to 1941.