Fort Delaware State Park – Pea Patch Island

Address 45 Clinton Street (Ferry Dock & Ticket Office), Delaware City, DE 19706

Phone: (302) 834-7941

Fort Delaware State Park — A Civil War Island Fortress in the Middle of the Delaware River

History, Living History, and One of the East Coast’s Greatest Bird Rookeries — All on an Island You Have to Earn

Fort Delaware doesn’t just sit in Delaware — it sits in the Delaware River, on Pea Patch Island, accessible only by ferry. That eight-minute boat ride sets the tone for everything that follows. Once on the island, visitors step into one of the most compelling and sobering living history sites in the mid-Atlantic: a massive granite fortress that served as a Union prison camp during the Civil War, holding tens of thousands of Confederate prisoners of war at its peak.

Fort Delaware is a seasonal attraction. The 2026 season opens Saturday, April 25, 2026.

During the season, the fort operates Saturday and Sunday only from late April through mid-June, then Wednesday through Sunday from mid-June through late August, then Saturday and Sunday only through late September. The fort is closed Monday and Tuesday throughout the season, and closed entirely from late September through late April. Always verify the current season schedule at destateparks.com before planning your visit, as the schedule shifts by month and holiday closures apply.

Ferry admission (includes fort entry): Adults (13+): $12 | Children ages 2–12: $7 | Children under 2: Free | Seniors (62+) and Military: $11. Advance ferry tickets are available online and strongly recommended. Private boats, kayaks, and canoes are not permitted to dock on Pea Patch Island.

The History of Fort Delaware: From River Defense to Civil War Prison

Pea Patch Island has a history almost as strange as its name. According to local folklore, the island emerged as a mud bank in the Delaware River after a ship carrying a cargo of peas ran aground, spilling its contents, and the resulting plant growth gave the island its identity. Whether or not the pea story holds up, the island’s strategic position in the river channel was recognized early on: Pierre L’Enfant, the designer of Washington, D.C., proposed it as a defensive site in the 1790s.

A wooden star fort was built on the island between 1815 and 1824, shortly after the War of 1812, to protect the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia from naval attack. That fort burned down in 1831. Construction of the much larger polygonal masonry fort — the one visitors see today — began in 1836, though a decade-long legal dispute between Delaware and New Jersey over which state owned the island delayed its completion. The current Fort Delaware was finally finished in the years just before the Civil War.

When the war broke out in 1861, Fort Delaware’s relative isolation in the middle of the river made it a natural choice for a Union prisoner of war camp. At its peak in 1863, the fort held over 12,595 Confederate prisoners, making it one of the largest POW facilities in the North. Conditions on the island were brutal, particularly in summer. Disease, overcrowding, and the psychological weight of island confinement took a significant toll. By the war’s end, approximately 2,460 Confederate soldiers had died at Fort Delaware and were buried nearby at Finn’s Point National Cemetery in Salem, New Jersey.

After the Civil War, the fort was largely abandoned, briefly reactivated during the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II before being declared surplus property in 1945. Delaware State Parks acquired Pea Patch Island in 1947, and Fort Delaware opened to the public as a state park in 1951 — now celebrating its 75th season in 2026.

What to Experience at Fort Delaware

Costumed Living History Interpreters

Fort Delaware’s costumed interpreters are among the most knowledgeable living history staff at any site in the region. Dressed in period-appropriate clothing representing soldiers, prisoners, laundresses, and civilians of 1864, they engage visitors directly — answering questions, demonstrating daily life inside the fort, and bringing the human stories of the Civil War to immediate, visceral life.

Columbiad Cannon Firings

The fort’s 8-inch Columbiad cannon fires a live gunpowder charge during scheduled demonstrations throughout each operating day. The sound, smell, and percussive force of the firing is genuinely impressive — and a guaranteed hit with visitors of all ages. Climb to the top of the ramparts for the best vantage point and a sweeping view of the Delaware River in both directions.

Battery Torbert and the Mine Casemate

Within the fort’s walls, Battery Torbert represents one layer of the fortification’s evolving military history. Along the Prison Camp Trail, visitors can find the entrance to the mine casemate — a chamber that once controlled underwater mines deployed in the Delaware River channel during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Paranormal Tours

Fort Delaware has developed a well-earned reputation as one of Delaware’s most haunted sites. Fall paranormal tours — offered on Friday and Saturday evenings in October — take visitors through the fort after dark with a decidedly different tone than the daytime living history programming.

Accessibility Note: The ground floor of the fort is handicap accessible. Upper floors are not. Please notify ticket office staff in advance if accessibility assistance will be needed.

The Pea Patch Heronry: One of the East Coast’s Largest Bird Rookeries

Fort Delaware’s historical significance is intertwined with the island’s remarkable ecological story. Pea Patch Island hosts one of the largest mixed-species nesting heronies on the Atlantic Coast, with an estimated 5,000 to 12,000 breeding pairs of herons, egrets, and ibises nesting on the island’s marshy northern end each spring and summer. Osprey and bald eagles also nest on the island regularly.

The Prison Camp Trail leads visitors from the fort out to the heronry observation platform — a roughly 1.1-mile out-and-back walk over crushed stone through wooded terrain. Spring and early summer visits offer the best birding, when the rookery is at peak activity. Pack insect repellent for summer visits — the island’s marsh environment is a productive habitat for more than just herons.

Planning Your Visit

All visits to Fort Delaware begin at the ferry dock at 45 Clinton Street in Delaware City, approximately 15 miles south of Wilmington via Route 9. The ferry crossing takes approximately eight minutes each way. A small tram is available on the island for visitors who need assistance covering the distance between the ferry landing and the fort entrance.

Delaware City itself is a pleasant small town worth a brief stop before or after your ferry, with a handful of restaurants, a marina, and a walkable waterfront. Combined with a visit to the nearby New Castle Court House Museum or Historic New Castle, Fort Delaware anchors a full-day trip through New Castle County’s most distinctive historical landscape.