Historical Markers and War Memorials in Delaware City, Delaware
Wilmington is the county seat for New Castle County
Delaware City is in New Castle County
New Castle County(830) ► ADJACENT TO NEW CASTLE COUNTY Kent County(263) ► Cecil County, Maryland(184) ► Kent County, Maryland(101) ► Gloucester County, New Jersey(55) ► Salem County, New Jersey(115) ► Chester County, Pennsylvania(459) ► Delaware County, Pennsylvania(283) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
Near 5th Street (Route 9) at 7th Street, on the right when traveling east.
In 1835 five trustees of the African Union Church purchased this half acre of land for $80, thereby establishing a church, now razed, and cemetery. Throughout its active years the church and cemetery served the residents of Polktown, one of the . . . — — Map (db m244708) HM
By the turn of the century, Fort Delaware had become part of a coastal defense system, linking Fort Mott in New Jersey and Fort Dupont in Delaware. Batteries* Hentig and Dodd, which each housed two rapid-fire guns, were intended to furnish . . . — — Map (db m21662) HM
On Clinton Street, 0.1 miles south of Harbor Street when traveling south.
Although the idea of a waterway crossing the upper Delmarva peninsula was suggested in the 1600s, the canal did not become a reality until 1829. Over 2,600 workers, including many Irish immigrant and African-American laborers, dug the canal with . . . — — Map (db m174514) HM
On New Castle Avenue north of Delaware Route 9, on the right when traveling south.
Fort DuPont’s chapel was constructed in 1941 to meet the spiritual needs of soldiers preparing to go abroad. The spire on this chapel indicates its non-denominational status.
The Army considered wooden structures “temporary.” Most of the wooden . . . — — Map (db m156151) HM
On Clinton Street at Third Street, on the right when traveling south on Clinton Street.
In 1847, the Reverend Andrew F. Freeman and the Reverend Thomas F. Billop were appointed as a committee to organize and solicit subscriptions for a Protestant Episcopal church in Delaware City. The parish was formally organized on May 28, 1848, . . . — — Map (db m10208) HM
On Clinton Street at Harbor Street, on the right when traveling north on Clinton Street.
The British attack on Lewes, Delaware, during the War of 1812 demonstrated the need for forts to protect the Delaware River and the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia. The War Department recognized Pea Patch Island's strategic location and . . . — — Map (db m174520) HM
On Madison Street, 0.2 miles south of 5th Street (Delaware Route 9), on the right when traveling south.
This building, formerly known as Delaware City School #118C, served as a school for the African American students of Delaware City between the years of 1922 and 1961. During these years 13 teachers taught over 300 students. — — Map (db m174522) HM
Constructed in 1910 at the head of Officers Row, the Commanding Officer Quarters sits on what was once Delaware City farmland.
The building is prominently located on the north corner of the Parade Ground, a highly visible and dominating . . . — — Map (db m189100) HM
On Sussex Avenue just east of Wingate Road, on the right when traveling west.
These brick were brought from England in the 17th Century and used in the construction of Lord Fairfax Mansion at Belvoir, Virginia, 1736. — — Map (db m174452) HM
March 17, 1887 First Organized;
January 23, 1889 Delaware City Hose Co.;
July 9, 1924 Reorganized Delaware City Fire Co. No. 1;
January 29, 1926 Incorporated;
November 7, 2004 815 Fifth St. — — Map (db m140485) HM
On Canal Street at Hamilton Street, on the right when traveling north on Canal Street.
In the years prior to WW II, many of the local citizens were watermen and made their living from the river. If a boat crew was in distress and needed assistance, other boat owners from town would navigate their craft to make the needed rescue. . . . — — Map (db m189888) HM
Near Madison Street, 0.3 miles south of 5th Street.
In 1919 Delaware radically altered its state school system, opening a new era in the education of African-American youth. Progress was stimulated by the efforts of the Delaware School Auxiliary Association and its primary supporter, P.S. duPont, who . . . — — Map (db m10445) HM
On Michael N. Castle Trail, 0.3 miles south of 5th Street (Delaware Route 9), on the right when traveling north.
In 1914, the Equal Suffrage Study Club, founded by and for African American women, encouraged the public to campaign for women's voting rights and inclusion of African American women. This club was one of Delaware's most active suffrage . . . — — Map (db m205501) HM
On Clinton Street, 0.1 miles north of Front Street, on the right when traveling north.
The river marshes around Delaware City provided the ideal habitat for fishes, waterfowl and muskrats. In the 1800s, local residents thought this wildlife would always be available and abundant.
The harvesting of fish and birds in excessive . . . — — Map (db m174497) HM
On Officers Row, 0.1 miles west of Wingate Road, on the right when traveling west.
As operations at Fort Dupont continued to expand, so did the need for additional housing.
The solution? Utilize surplus housing from nearby Fort Mott, New Jersey, which was in caretaker status. In December 1931, the 1st Engineers rolled . . . — — Map (db m174451) HM
On Delaware Route 9 at New Castle Avenue, on the right when traveling west on State Route 9.
This fort was originally established in 1863 as the Ten Gun Battery opposite Fort Delaware. In 1897 construction began on concrete gun batteries armed with long-range rifles, rapid-fire rifles and mortars. The fort was renamed in honor of Rear . . . — — Map (db m140397) HM
The U.S Army’s World War II XIII Corps (Dec ’42-Sept ’45) stationed its headquarters at Ft. DuPont (May ’43-June’44) prior to transferring to Eto. XIII Corps troops reached the Elbe River, near Tangermunde, Germany, in April 1945, the closest that . . . — — Map (db m140451) WM
Ten separate granite block formed each gun embrasure. Granite could absorb the shock of enemy fire, and thus protect the troops within the fort's walls. The iron shutters on the outside of the embrasure were designed to shield the gun crews from . . . — — Map (db m174814) HM
On Clinton Street at Harbor Street, on the left when traveling north on Clinton Street.
Just a half-mile off Delaware City's Battery Park, Pea Patch Island is home to a large colony of herons in America. While Fort Delaware occupies the southern end of the island, nine species of wading birds have settled on the marshy, forested . . . — — Map (db m189915) HM
Delaware City’s story begins in 1801 when the Newbold brothers, Barzilla, Clayton, and John, of New Jersey, acquired 1600 acres of land on the Delaware River, John Newbold built a wharf that became a center for trading and shipping grain, giving . . . — — Map (db m189478) HM
Through his leadership Pea Patch Island was returned to the State of Delaware by the Federal Government in 1948. He was the founder and first president of the Fort Delaware Society, January 1950 and was elected chairman of the board in 1956. — — Map (db m10207) HM
On Wilmington Avenue, 0.2 miles north of Exchange Road, on the right when traveling north.
Fort DuPont State Park
Tucked beneath the northern foot of Reedy Point Bridge, Fort DuPont is one of the last open riverfront areas left in northern New Castle County. Once farmland, the site has been dedicated to defending the Delaware . . . — — Map (db m174456) HM
On 5th Street (Delaware Route 9) at Canal Street, on the right when traveling north on 5th Street.
This bridge is named for local heroine Michelle Newton Smith, an Emergency Medical Technician with the Delaware City Fire Co. Smith, who dedicated her life to helping others, was aiding an injured motorcyclist along U.S. 13 when she was struck by an . . . — — Map (db m213305) HM
Officers Row was a home to commissioned officers and their families. The road was the originally the Henry farmhouse driveway leading from the canal (bottom left). The fountain replaced the “triangle” between Officers Row, Elm and Maple. The . . . — — Map (db m140434) WM
On Clinton Street, on the right when traveling north.
Delaware City was founded in 1826, in anticipation of the opening of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. The town was incorporated in 1851. The benefits of proximity to the canal resulted in a sustained period by prosperity and expansion of the . . . — — Map (db m94190) HM
This 18 acres of open space has been the focal point for most of the fort’s existence and has served many purposes over the years.
Geographically, the Parade Ground separated officers’ quarters from enlisted barracks and utilitarian . . . — — Map (db m140448) HM
Fort Delaware is located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. The island is sometimes said to have gotten its name from a boat loaded with peas that ran aground on a mud shoal in the 1770s. The spilled peas sprouted, mud caught in the . . . — — Map (db m21589) HM
Near Michael N. Castle Trail, 0.4 miles south of 5th Street (Delaware Route 9), on the right when traveling south.
The African American community known today as Polktown is one of the earliest remaining free black settlements in Delaware and has been continuously occupied for nearly two centuries. It extended on both sides of the historic branch canal and . . . — — Map (db m244709) HM
The African Union Church once stood on this site adjacent to the cemetery. The church was a branch of the original "Spencer Churches," founded by Wilmington's Peter Spencer in 1813. In 1835, five trustees of the church - Perry Reynolds, Noah . . . — — Map (db m244731) HM
The Post Exchange (PX) was constructed in 1906. Later known as Burton Hall, the PX was a multi-purpose facility that over the years included a gymnasium, bowling alley, barber shop, pool tables, soda fountain, exchange and library. — — Map (db m188564) HM
This is the fort’s headquarters, also known as the administration building, constructed in 1901. The first floor of the building contained offices, the second floor was used for courts martial and records storage. The fort’s first official . . . — — Map (db m140447) WM
In the late 1890s, when the fort was being modernized, these generators were installed to provide back-up power for the lights, elevators, and the firing of the twelve-inch guns. An electrical service ran under the Delaware River to supply the . . . — — Map (db m174813) HM
On Clinton Street at Harbor Street, on the right when traveling north on Clinton Street.
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal offered easy passage between Philadelphia and Baltimore for both freight and passengers. By reducing the miles traveled between the two cities, the canal improved access to Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley and . . . — — Map (db m174515) HM
In its original state, heavy iron-studded oak doors (like the one before you) stood at both ends of the sally port. Large granite blocks, quarried in Quincy, Massachusetts, line its walls. A sample of the fort’s fine brickwork can be seen on the . . . — — Map (db m21665) HM
On Clinton Street at Harbor Street, on the right when traveling north on Clinton Street.
They seem scary to many people, but a world without bats is scarier. Bats eat millions of flying pests each night, helping to control mosquitos and moths and saving farmers billions of dollars in pesticides.
White-Nose Syndrome [WNS] . . . — — Map (db m190540) HM
On Clinton Street, on the right when traveling north.
Made in Philadelphia 1839 for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company, it was used as an air chamber for workmen to make underwater repairs on the lock gates. The canal was opened in 1829 and was operated until the sea level canal was opened at . . . — — Map (db m189476) HM
On Clinton Street, 0.1 miles north of Front Street, on the right when traveling north.
This earthbound rectangle of water before you was once the eastern gateway to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, one of four locks that regulated water depth along the canal to allow vessels to make the 14-mile journey between the Delaware River . . . — — Map (db m174502) HM
On Sussex Avenue just east of Wingate Road, on the right when traveling west.
The Theatre was constructed by the U.S. Army's 1st Regiment and the Works Progress Administration in 1933 to provide entertainment for soldiers, their families, employees and civilians. Adult tickets were 20 cents and children's tickets were 10 . . . — — Map (db m174453) HM
Near 5th Street (Delaware Route 9) at 7th Street, on the right when traveling east.
This cemetery is the final resting place for five Civil War veterans. The United States War Department established the Bureau of Colored Troops on May 22, 1863 under General Order 143. These were free African American men who served in a segregated . . . — — Map (db m244717) HM
This monument is dedicated to those residents of Delaware City and Fort Dupont, past and present, who served in the United States Military and to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. — — Map (db m215308) HM
On Clinton Street at Harbor Street, on the right when traveling north on Clinton Street.
This quiet waterfront promenade was once part of a busy, noisy commercial district that included coal wharves, a steamboat dock, sheds and stores, and broad staging areas for local produce destined for markets in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Piers . . . — — Map (db m174518) HM
Near 5th Street (Delaware Route 9) at 7th Street, on the right when traveling east.
Typical of a 19th century working class community, this burial ground likely contained a large number of wooden and fieldstone markers. Open unmarked areas indicate that was probably the case. Many of these handmade markers have disappeared over . . . — — Map (db m244729) HM
