July 25, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 336

Contact: Laura Lee, Fort Delaware State Park, 302-834-7941, or Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9191, necia.beck@state.de.us 

Delaware State Parks Introduces New Interpretive Program Manager at Fort Delaware 

PEA PATCH ISLAND, Del. –  Laura Lee has been named Interpretive Program Manager and Park Historian for Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont State Parks, and for the Port Penn Interpretive Center. Her hiring was announced by Ray Bivens, Chief of Environmental Education for Delaware State Parks.

Ms. Lee, a native Delawarean, recently completed 12 years with the Iron Hill Museum in Newark, Del. She also has prior experience at Fort Delaware. As a seasonal interpreter there from 1991 until 1995, she helped develop an award-winning living history program that helps bring alive the background and lives of the thousands of prisoners and civilians who lived in the Civil War-era fort. She also worked closely with Delaware State Parks archaeologist Dr. Cara Blume to unearth clues to the history of the Fort.

Ms. Lee earned a degree in history with a concentration in anthropology from the University of Delaware. At Fort DuPont, she will be living in a former officers’ home, circa 1933, with two of her five children, and their two golden retrievers. She said she is excited about returning to the fort and plans to expand programming to include more child-friendly activities, to enhance the public’s knowledge of the site, and reach out to schools with year-round outreach programming that meets state education standards.  “In this time of rising gas prices that stifle many vacation plans, Fort Delaware is both an exciting and an affordable destination,” she said.

Fort Delaware is located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. The fort can be reached by ferry from Delaware City. Reservations for the ferry trip to Fort Delaware can be made by calling 1-877-98-PARKS (1-877-987-2757) or by visiting www.destateparks.com.