Fort Delaware State Park

Fort Delaware was originally constructed as a mid-19th century coastal defense site. In 1862, the War Department determined that it would be an ideal site for Confederate prisoners. During the course of the war 33,000 Confederates, political prisoners, and Federal convicts were imprisoned at the fort. Over 2,400 died while in prison. The fort is located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River; visitors travel to the island aboard the Delafort, a ferryboat. The island is the site of one of the largest heronries in the East.