Oct. 21, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 483 

Media contact information: Dawn Morris, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9937 or 302-934-3891 (cell); Lee Jennings, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9191; or Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9175 or necia.beck@state.de.us. 

Come in Costume, or Come as You Are
to the Ghost Hunters Ball and Watch
the Live Broadcast from Fort Delaware

DELAWARE CITY, Del.  – The SciFi Channel’s popular Ghost Hunters return to Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island this Halloween for a special live broadcast from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. To celebrate the special, Crabby Dick’s Restaurant is hosting a Ghost Hunters Ball from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. at the restaurant located at the end of Clinton Street in Delaware City. 

The event will begin with a costume contest for all ages at 6 p.m., followed by the airing of the live broadcast at 7 p.m. The seven-hour special is scheduled to air until 2 a.m.; however, the restaurant will close at 1 a.m. A portion of the proceeds from the Ghost Hunters Ball will benefit Fort Delaware. 

Ghost Hunters Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) and a filming crew visited Fort Delaware in April 2008 to film the show’s mid-season finale which aired on June 18, 2008. During the filming, the show’s hosts witnessed several unexplained phenomena, including a whispered phrase and a loud “bang.” 

However, the most compelling part of the show came when a human image was photographed with an infrared camera. At the end of the show, during the “reveal,” Hawes and Wilson assured Delaware State Parks Cultural Heritage Chief Lee Jennings that they were convinced of paranormal activity at the fort. 

Fort Delaware pre-dates the Civil War when the fortress housed Confederate prisoners-of-war. During the war, the number of soldiers, prisoners and civilians living on Pea Patch Island at one time grew to nearly 17,000, making it the second largest city in Delaware, behind Wilmington. Throughout the war, more than 30,000 residents spent time on the island. 

Delaware State Parks staff reminds the public that no unauthorized boats will be allowed to dock at Pea Patch Island during and leading up to the broadcast. Fort Delaware will be a closed filming location and trespassers will be prosecuted. 

For more information about Fort Delaware, please call 302-834-7941, or visit www.destateparks.com.