Prospect Park in Delaware County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Morton Mystery
Archaeologists working under the south part of the house [unreadable] discovered [unreadable] European use of the site. They found a 14'8" by 16'4" rectangular hole [unreadable]. What was this mysterious hole? Was it someone's home? A temporary [unreadable] home built by Swedish or Finnish settlers? No one knows for sure.
Researchers poring over old court records may have uncovered one clue. The found a record dated April 3, 1679.
Jan [unreadable] and complaying to ye Court that his son Erik is berect of his factural senses & is turned quyt madd and [unreadable] a poor Man is not able to maintain [unreadable] Ordered that three or four persons live hired to build a Little Blockhouse at Amostand for to put in the said Madhouse.
We will probably never know whether the hole in the rock [undreadable] mad Erik.
When? Before 1638: Indians
1638 - 1655: New Sweden
1655 - 1664: Dutch dominion
1664 - 1681: English rule
1681 - 1784: Pennsylvania colony
1784 - 1870: Americans
1870 - 1935: Suburban development
1935 - 1937: Building restoration
1937 - present: Historic park
Topics. This historical marker
this page online
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 52.609′ N, 75° 18.343′ W. Marker was in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County. It could be reached from Wanamaker Avenue (Pennsylvania Route 420) 0.2 miles south of Lafayette Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 100 Lincoln Ave, Prospect Park PA 19076, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Greater Philadelphia. It was also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location:
Other markers no longer nearby. The First Building (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Second Building (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Morton Homestead (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Darby Creek Then and Now (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Welcome to The Morton Homestead (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Ferry Landing (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. Unfortunately the marker has weathered significantly and is largely unreadable.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 384 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
