Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station

1884-1926

Photographed by Nate Davidson, December 31, 2010

1. Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station Marker

Inscription. Many of the European immigrants who came to this country at the end of the nineteenth century brought with them a variety of epidemic diseases including cholera, typhus, smallpox and bubonic plague. This posed a serious threat to urban areas such as Wilmington and Philadelphia. The Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station was established here at Cape Henlopen by the Federal Government in 1884 to protect these cities by examining all immigrants for contagious diseases. Immigrants who showed signs of such diseases, as well as those suspected of contact with them, were quarantined for 10 to 60 days. The others were able to proceed to their destination point. In its heyday, the hospital could accommodate as many as 1,650 people. At the height of its use, the Station's facilities included a hospital, barracks, stables, and a blacksmith shop, as well as buildings for bathing, disinfecting, cremation, and boat storage. By the time the Quarantine Station was closed during World War I, as many as 200,000 people had passed through this facility.

Erected by Delaware State Parks.

Topics and series. This historical marker

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is listed in these topic lists: Notable Places • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Delaware State Parks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1884.

Location. 38° 47.167′ N, 75° 6.048′ W. Marker is in Lewes, Delaware, in Sussex County. It is in Cape Henlopen State Park. It can be reached from Dock Drive. Located near the fishing pier within Cape Henlopen State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lewes DE 19958, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Delaware’s Beaches.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: William J. Hopkins (within shouting distance of this marker); Quarantine Station (within shouting distance of this marker);

Photographed by John Miller, August 7, 2019

2. Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station Marker

The marker display has been removed. Located at the pavilion near the tackle shop. Remnants of the Quarantine Station are visible beyond. (Email from the Park Superintendent states that the marker was faded and a replacement will be installed in the near future.)

German Submarine at Cape Henlopen (within shouting distance of this marker); Battery Hunter (approx. 0.7 miles away); Senator David B. McBride (approx. 0.7 miles away); Standing Guard (approx. ¾ mile away); Fort Miles Historical Area (approx. 0.8 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Miles Historical Area (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lewes.

Photographed by John Miller, August 7, 2019

3. Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station Marker

Remnants of the Quarantine Station.

Photographed by John Miller, August 7, 2019

4. Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station Marker

Remnants of the Quarantine Station.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,408 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 1, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 11, 2019, by John Miller of Rising Sun, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.