Fort Delaware State Park

Delaware State Park On Pea Patch Island In The Delaware River, Centered On A Granite And Brick Fort Completed In 1859 That Held Confederate Prisoners In The Civil War, Reached Only By The Park Ferry From Delaware City · Delaware City, Delaware

Fort Delaware is a massive five-sided granite and brick fort on Pea Patch Island in the middle of the Delaware River, completed in 1859 to guard the river approach to Philadelphia. It never fired a shot at an enemy ship. Its real history came in the Civil War, when the island became a Union prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers and some political prisoners; at its peak it held thousands of men in wooden barracks outside the walls, and more than two thousand died there, mostly of disease. Today it is a state park that you reach only by a short ride on the park ferry from Delaware City, open in the warmer months. Inside the moat and across the drawbridge, costumed interpreters play people who lived there in 1864 - soldiers, a blacksmith, a laundress, officers and prisoners - and there are cannon firing demonstrations, restored rooms and walls you can walk along. The island is also home to one of the largest heronries on the East Coast. Ghost tours and paranormal events, held on some evenings, are among its most popular tickets.

45 Clinton Street, Delaware City, Delaware, 19706, United States

Fort Delaware is SEASONAL and can only be reached by the park ferry, so the ferry schedule is the opening schedule. For 2026 the season runs roughly from late April to late September, with the ferry and fort open Wednesday to Sunday plus some holidays, and closed Monday and Tuesday outside those holidays. On open days the ferry leaves the Delaware City dock at intervals from about mid-morning to mid-afternoon, roughly 10 AM to 4 PM, and the last boat back from the island sets the end of your visit, so check the return times when you land. Tickets are sold in advance online, and only a limited number are held for same-day sale at the dock office, so busy weekends and holidays can sell out. The ferry does not sail in high wind, thunder or lightning, and trips can be delayed or cancelled on the day; if a storm builds while you are on the island you may wait for it to pass. From about October to April there are no regular ferries or fort visits, though special evening events such as ghost tours may run on certain dates - confirm. Whether a connecting ferry to Fort Mott in New Jersey is running should also be confirmed.

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