Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Native Plants of Fort Mifflin
Many native plants of the marsh were once used by people for food and medicine. Today, the plants of Fort Mifflin help support wildlife such as muskrats and birds.
The Versatile Cattail
The Lenape used cattails for food. Their spring stalks were eaten like asparagus. Later in the year, their flower spikes were prepared like corn on the cob, and in winter the plant’s rootstocks were crushed into a fine flour.
Wild Rice
Wild rice grows only in fresh-water tidal marshes. It was such an important food plant to the Lenape that they reserved harvest rights in their treaties with the European settlers.
Sumac
Sumac was an important medicinal plant for the Lenape. It was used in treating problems such as asthma and stomach ailments.
Blackberries
When William Penn’s agents surveyed the area in the mid 1600s, they described the marsh where the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers met as “fruitful in whortleberries.” Whortleberry was a European word for blackberry. The fruit that the agents saw may have been an ancestor of the native blackberries that are found around Fort Mifflin today.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Horticulture & Forestry • Native Americans.
Location. 39° 52.517′ N, 75° 12.71′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Fort Mifflin. Marker can be reached from W Fort Mifflin Road, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located at the bridge at the east entrance to Fort Mifflin. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6400 Hog Island Rd, Philadelphia PA 19153, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Main Gate / Flag (here, next to this marker); What Makes Wetlands? (a few steps from this marker); Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); Muddy Island in the Marsh (within shouting distance of this marker); Expert Fishers of Fort Mifflin (within shouting distance of this marker); Casemates or Bombproofs (within shouting distance of this marker); The Siege of Fort Mifflin (within shouting distance of this marker); Quartermaster’s Store (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.
Also see . . . The Fort that saved America. The Official Website of Fort Mifflin on the Delaware. (Submitted on November 11, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 403 times since then and 11 times this year. Last updated on August 17, 2023, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 11, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.