June 21, 2010
Vol. 40, No. 215

Contact: Becky Webb or Laura Lee, Fort Delaware State Park, 302-834-7941; or Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9175, necia.beck@state.de.us

Popular Fort Delaware Candlelight Ghost Tours return for the 2010 season

DELAWARE CITY, Del. - After a very successful 2009 season, Fort Delaware State Park will offer the very popular Candlelight Ghost Tours throughout the 2010 summer season beginning Saturday, June 26. Additional dates are July 3, 23 and 24 and August 6, 7, 27 and 28. There are two tours nightly at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Participants will join Fort Delaware staff for a tour with a ghostly spin. The most haunted spots of the Civil War fortress will be visited and a ghost or two might show up along the way. The tours cost $20 per person, and participation is limited to 70 for each tour. Reservations may be made by calling 1-877-98-PARKS (1-877-987-2757) or visiting www.destateparks.com.

Other ghostly happenings at Fort Delaware this summer combine dinner and spooky presentations. Local folklorist Ed Okonowicz spins ghostly tales during dessert. He then leads participants on a tour of the Fort that mixes history with storytelling. The Appetite for Apparitions programs are offered on two Saturdays, July 31 and August 21. The ferry to Fort Delaware for these programs leaves the Delaware City dock at 6 p.m. Tours are limited to 50 participants and price and menu information can be obtained from the park office, 302-834-7941.

Fort Delaware, located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River was the site of a Civil War prison in the 1860s. A bustling community grew in and around the fort in its heyday making it one of the largest cities in Delaware at one time. Fort Delaware has been featured on the SyFy Channel’s Ghost Hunters. A full schedule of Fort Delaware programs and more information are available at www.destateparks.com or by calling 302-834-7941.