Laura Lee, Interpretive Program Manager, Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont State Parks, 302-834-7941
Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302- 739-9175,
Necia.Beck@state.de.us
New spring programs at Fort DuPont State Park
DELAWARE CITY (March 16, 2011) - A series of new programs will be held at Fort DuPont State Park this spring. The public is invited to a series of Sunday Open Houses on March 20, April 17 and May 15, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Programs meet at 90A Staff Lane in Delaware City, at the end of the parade ground. Directions are available by calling the Fort Delaware State Park office at 302-834-7941. There is no charge for programs, but visitors who wish to park on the grounds will pay a daily entrance fee.
As part of the Open Houses, the following tours are offered:
Gun Battery Tour
1 p.m.
The riverside trails at Fort DuPont house the post's massive concrete gun batteries. A walk with a park historian features the concrete emplacements that once held steel-barreled breech-loading guns.
Fort DuPont Walking Tour
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Park staff conduct a leisurely stroll on the grounds of the park, explaining the history, architecture and community of this old military post, including the theater, gymnasium, guard house (jail), barracks and officer housing.
A special Hounds and History Hike will be offered on Sunday, April 17 at 2 p.m. Pet dogs on leashes no longer than six feet are invited to hike the fort.
Visitors should wear sturdy walking shoes that can get dirty for all tours.
Fort DuPont, sister to Fort Delaware, was a mainland military post from the Civil War through World War II. Essentially a timeline of Delaware fortification history, it also housed German POWs during the Second World War, and was an active community in Delaware City. The former Non-Commissioned Officers quarters feature photographs and artifacts that tell the story of the post.
Fort DuPont along with Fort Delaware and Fort Mott acted as a three-fort defense system during World War II. The forts kept the Delaware River safe from naval attacks. The park includes riverside trails, historic buildings and gun batteries, a fishing point, boat dock, and other recreational amenities.
Vol. 41, No. 97
