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Fort Delaware State Park

Delaware City, Delaware

Access to Fort Delaware is by ferry.

Living History

1864: All Day, Every Day

Fort Delaware was a busy place during the summer of 1864. The lives of the Union soldiers, Confederate prisoners, and civilians going about their daily business on Pea Patch Island are recreated by our own first-person interpreters. Find the similarities and differences between their lives and yours as you travel back in time.

The Fort Delaware Laundresses

Visit the laundry and meet Julia Gunning, one of the fort's laundresses. Help her wash clothes the 19th-century way! You'll need plenty of elbow grease as you learn the proper use of a scrub board. And it's not all wash tubs and flat irons. You may also find out some interesting tidbits of gossip.

Esau, Blacksmith Apprentice and Free Man

Dozens of African Americans helped to build and operate Fort Delaware during the Civil War. This is an intimate look at the history of African Americans in Delaware. It is a story of struggle and triumph over slavery.

The Ordnance Sergeant: Keeper of the Guns

Have a chat with Edmund Bryan, the only regular army soldier posted to Fort Delaware in the summer of 1864. Being the Ordnance Sergeant, he is in charge of all the ammunition in the fort. Take a look inside the ordnance store room to see if you can find the sergeant at work.

Infantry Drill

Drill for the soldiers took place almost every day, sometimes for hours on end. Officers needed orderly, formations that could react almost instantly to a command. Here's a chance for you to see and learn why drilling was so important.

Great Escapes

Hear the stories of escape attempts from the prisoners themselves. From the spectacular escapes, to the unsuccessful attempts, the POWs' methods ran the gamut from daring and ingenious to downright foolish.

Dig In - The Food of the Enlisted Men at Fort Delaware

Everyone enjoys a good meal; the soldiers of the Civil War and Fort Delaware were no different. Come to our enlisted men's kitchen to see the cooks hard at work preparing different types of food for their comrades.

Guts, No Glory - The Hospital at Fort Delaware

Hear tales of the differences between working here at the hospital and working on the field in the camps of the army. You'll also learn about the difficulties faced by everyone in the hospital, from the highest surgeon, to the lowliest POW patient.