Fort Delaware: a Civil War living history museum

June 22, 6:15 PMDelaware Historic Destinations Travel ExaminerKimberley Riccio

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Fort Delaware originally built to protect the ports in the Delaware River has survived on Pea Patch Island for great many years without firing a shot in anger. The fort’s Civil War career began as a Union fortress in 1859, housing nearly 13,000 confederate prisoners after the battle of Gettysburg in 1863. The Fort, one of Delaware premiere state parks provides visitors with a look into the civil war past, by providing authentically clad award winning historic interpreters to tell the tales and lives of union soldiers, freed slaves, confederate prisoners, and civilian detainees during the war.

A short trip into the historic town of Delaware City and a mini ferry ride will bring you to the dock on Pea Patch Island. A ride through the island’s marshlands brings you up to the front gate and sally port of the fort. There a Union sentry meets you. On occasion, you will find the Fort’s Colonel waiting to greet you and escort you inside, while explaining the military “plan of the day” activities.

To the left of the Sally Port is a visitor center, the start of a planned visit. At the visitor center, you will see a scaled model of the island where prison barracks and hospital were located on the island during the war. A 20 minute video is also available that tells some of the history of the fort and island.

Visitors have a varied program schedule to choose when planning a trip to the state park. On any given day, you might be able to see a musket demonstration by the ordnance sergeant Edmund Bryan, an infantry drill with union soldiers, or the Reverend Isaac Handy a Political prisoner in a lively discussion on war issues. There are kids programs as well. Many of the interpreters will allow hands-on demonstrations. You will be able to lean drilling, while marching with a wooden weapon, work alongside the Irish Laundresses Julia Gunning, or better still help Blacksmith Esau with new canon parts.

During the summer season, you will find P.O.W. weekends and other military re-enactments. Visiting military re-enactors, such as the 2nd Maryland Company or 69th Pennsylvanians, bring the history of the battles a live with stories and tall tales of escapes. On a P.O.W weekend (the second weekends in June, July and August), a visitor can view the searching of prisoners on the Sally port. Witness how the prisoners were treated and how a search of their few belongs were handled. Beware, that if a prisoner is disruptive, he will be marched to the parade ground and chained up for all to see. Keep an eye on the gate, a civil war woman reporter may show up and give full accounts of how the war is going, or a photographer with a war-era camera will make an appearance. You just never know who will make a surprise visit.

In conjunction with the Fort Delaware Historical Society, the state park puts on other programs. A Victorian Kidsfest proved to be a great success on June 14th. This may well be an annual event with historical games, carnival games, tours, crafts, face painting, and a one of a kind vintage base ball game, complete with Victorian rules and uniforms. The base ball game was an exhibition game put on by the Diamond State Base Ball Club. Children attending the festival will also be able to attend school with schoolmarm interpreter Miss Gibble. An open-air schoolroom was set up for and a collection of artifacts and games were available for hands-on instruction.  From the looks on the smiling faces of the students, learning was truly a fun time.

Reconstruction continues throughout the fort, bring it back to its originally grandeur with the help of the Fort Delaware Historical Society and various other volunteers like the Parks AmeriCorps members. Tours like the Behind-the-Scenes, Candlelight Ghost tours, or a basic interpretive tour guides visitors through a 19th century Laundry, Blacksmith shop, Ordnance room, Officer’s quarters with kitchen and dining room, and Enlisted mess. New on the grounds is a reproduction of one of the confederate barracks that house up to 200 prisoners at any one time. The fort also includes an archive, library, and a gift shop.

If you would like to volunteer at the fort, contact the Fort Delaware Historical Societies Jayne McCormick at volunteers@fortdelaware.orgor the State park volunteer coordinator – Colin Barratt at colin.barratt@state.de.us.