Fort DuPont

"From 1942 through 1945, more than 400,000 Axis prisoners were shipped to the United States and detained in camps in rural areas across the country."

-- Smithsonian Magazine

Who has not built a fort from sofa cushions and blankets? There is something so evocative about being "safe inside" that even the word fort conjures up images of warmth and security. While the reality is not always quite the same, there are fewer things I like better than exploring an old fort. Imagine my delight when I discovered that an old fort with a history sits about half an hour away from my house.

Fort DuPont was originally constructed during the Civil War to protect the shipping that was making its way up the Delaware River to Philadelphia. Armed with first ten then twenty huge guns, the fort was an important part of the defense of the Delaware River and continued to grow into the beginning of the 20th Century.

The state park has created a walking path called the River View Trail. As you follow it, you come upon the remains of the three gun batteries. These structures are slowly being taken over by nature, but as I walked around them and as I stood next them to them, I certainly got an understanding of how impenetrable these must have felt back in the day.

There are signs all over the buildings that forbid anyone climbing or walking on the batteries. Well, I decided that those signs did not apply to me and I climbed the steps to the top. Here is the view.

As you can see, Mother Nature is slowly taking back what was once hers, but I was able to appreciate the view that must once have been and how intimidating (or reassuring depending on what side you were on) those guns must have looked to a ship sailing up river.

The outbreak of World War I forced the army to make some hard choices. Fairly certain that Philadelphia was considerably safer than the soldiers in the trenches, the US Army moved half the guns to the Western Front. The fort was then used as a basic training center for those poor souls heading to France.

As guns became more accurate and had longer ranges, the Army decided that it would prefer its defenses to be further away from Philadelphia and closer to the ocean. Fort Miles located just outside Lewes was built and the big guns were moved there. Unwilling to completely abandon its fort, however, the Army became an engineer post housing the First Engineers. When their officers needed new living quarters, these engineers did something really special. They took some abandoned housing from Fort Mott in New Jersey and floated the houses down the river to Fort DuPont. Two of the houses are still standing and are used as private homes today. The woman who lives in this one had two labs who were out playing. Needless to say, we bonded over the dogs and so she gave me permission to take a picture of her home.

By the outbreak of World War II, the guns had all been abandoned and shipped elsewhere as Fort Miles was now the primary defense of the river. During the war, the fort was primarily used as a mobilization station for units deploying to Europe. In 1944, however, it became a prisoner of war camp for German POWs. After the defeat of Germany in 1945, a submarine that was hovering off the coast of Delaware surrendered becoming the first ship to surrender after V-E day. The crew members of that sub were sent to Fort DuPont. They lived and worked in the area, performing all sorts of jobs, until December 1945 when they were all sent home.

At that time, the fort was determined to be "surplus" and was disbanded. The state of Delaware bought the land at a "100% discount" and opened a health center on the grounds that still exists today. In 1992, a large amount of the land was rededicated as a state park.

Sadly, there is no money for the upkeep of the buildings, so a lot of them are in terrible shape. I loved this doorway. Not only is the sign somehow still visible, but look at the horseshoe over the doorsill. Perhaps there is something to that superstition.

The two pictures below really show the difference between then and now. There are several initiatives under way to save some of these buildings, but many people believe that most of them are beyond repair.

While the buildings are decaying and the batteries are being reclaimed by the elements, there is still a real sense of the fort that this once was. I highly recommend taking some time to go see it. And, no need to get the blankets and pillows all over the place.

Logistics: Located just outside of Delaware City, Fort DuPont is easy to find. The Park office is on North Reedy Point Road. It is very small and it shares its staff with Fort Delaware, but it has a very clean restroom, very nice staff, and the maps you will need to get around. The park itself is back towards Delaware City. Turn right onto Old Battery Road and follow it all the way to the river where there is plenty of parking.

The River View Trail is where you will find the three batteries. The signage is a bit hit and miss, but following the path is relatively straightforward. Just remember that you are, more or less, going in a circle and you will be fine.

The buildings on the grounds are a bit more spread apart. I would park and walk a bit, then drive down the road, park again, walk again. You get the idea. Please remember that real people live here in real homes. Ask permission before taking photos of their houses.

Fort DuPont State Park