Come with us to another time.

It’s a shorter trip than you might think.
Talk to Yanks and Rebs.
Listen to talk about “secesh” and “slaveocracy.”
Meet prisoners who were on the battlefield at Gettysburg.
Hear fifes and drums and cannon fire.

When you step off the Three Forts Ferry onto Pea Patch Island, you’ll be transported to a world where guards, officers and prisoners from the Civil War are living in 19th-century Fort Delaware.

It’s a living history lesson you’ll never forget.
Along with meeting the legends of Delaware history, you’ll see the grandeur and glory of the fort as it was in its prime. Prepare to be awed by its 32-foot-tall, 30-foot-thick granite walls with gun emplacements and an authentic 8" cannon—the only cannon of its kind still fired in America. Originally an encampment that held a total of 33,000 troops, officers and political prisoners during the Civil War, Fort Delaware has been restored and is alive with interpreters who put a human face on history.

Join us for special activities all summer long.
From Wednesday through Sunday, Civil War interpreters will take you back to the three key years of the Civil War—1861 thorough 1863. Wednesdays, you’ll hear how the fort prepared for war. Thursdays, you’ll learn how the fort converted itself from a battle station designed to sink ships to a fortress for prisoners. Wednesdays through Sundays, watch us begin to build more barracks and hear about the 12,595 POWs from Gettysburg who were housed at the fort after the historic battle.
Other events include lantern ghost tours and exhibitions of Civil War weapons, clothing, cooking and more. On Garrison Weekend, the third weekend in August, you’ll see 200 reenactors of the famed Mifflin Guard show off infantry formations, artillery drills and a full battle alert.
And those are just a few of the ways Fort Delaware brings the past alive. Ask about all the rest. It’s Civil War history—alive and in person!

For more information about Fort Delaware, visit http://www.destateparks.com/fdsp/fdsp.htm