Fort Miles Museum

World War II Coastal Defense Museum Inside Battery 519 At Cape Henlopen State Park, Run By The Fort Miles Historical Association With Delaware State Parks · Lewes, Delaware

The Fort Miles Museum fills Battery 519, a huge concrete bunker buried in the dunes of Cape Henlopen State Park, east of Lewes. Fort Miles was built from 1941 to guard the mouth of Delaware Bay and the shipping lanes to Wilmington and Philadelphia, and at its height held big coastal guns, searchlights, minefields and a chain of concrete fire-control towers along the coast. Battery 519 was a casemated emplacement for two 12-inch guns, covered with earth and sand so it looked like another dune from the sea. Today the Fort Miles Historical Association runs the museum in its long galleries together with Delaware State Parks, with exhibits on the fort, the soldiers who manned it and the war off this coast. Outside, an artillery park lays out big guns, including a 16-inch naval gun barrel said to have served on the battleship USS Missouri - confirm. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday on limited hours, and one-hour guided tours explain how the guns were aimed and fired. It is modest, cool and dim inside, and sits within the park, so the park's vehicle entry fee applies in season.

15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, Delaware, 19958, United States

The museum has been open Wednesday to Saturday roughly 10 AM to 4 PM and Sunday roughly 10 AM to 2:30 PM, and closed on Monday and Tuesday - confirm, as hours shift with the season, volunteer staffing and holidays. The one-hour guided tours of Battery 519 run at set times on open days, are recommended for ages 7 and up, carry a small per-person fee and have limited places, so reservations are advised through the Delaware State Parks programs page or by phone. The outdoor artillery park can be seen whenever Cape Henlopen State Park is open, usually from about 8 AM to sunset, even when the battery doors are shut. The park charges a per-vehicle entry fee roughly from March to November, higher for out-of-state plates - confirm. The climbable fire-control tower nearby is a separate park feature with its own opening season and closes in high wind. Special events and living history days change the schedule - confirm before you go.

Fort Miles Museum on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos