Fort Delaware
Pea Patch Island, near Delaware City, Delaware, United States
Other · established
The Story
Fort Delaware’s island walls enclose Civil War prison history and stories of whispers, footsteps and figures glimpsed in the dark. Delaware’s own environmental agency has recorded the investigators’ accounts. Visits depend on the park’s seasonal boat service and separately scheduled programs.
The Hauntings
Water separates Fort Delaware from the ordinary approach to a historic building. The journey ends on Pea Patch Island, where a coastal-defense fort became a prison during the Civil War and later a state park. Its haunted reputation follows particular interior spaces as well as the broad outline of that history. Reports collected from investigators bring the scale down again: a closing door, a step nearby, a whisper in a room. In a 2023 feature, Delaware DNREC describes stories of a blue figure appearing in a visitor’s photograph and child spirits associated with the officers’ quarters. It also interviews Diamond State Ghost Investigators, whose members have worked with the fort’s fall paranormal programs. Their accounts include moving doors, footsteps in apparently empty areas and shadows that seem to shift independently. Investigator Gina Dunham recounts hearing whispers and footsteps and seeing shadow-like anomalies. The feature presents these as her experiences, alongside the wider collection of fort stories. No single named prisoner is made responsible for every sound. The haunting tradition instead gathers around the different lives once contained within the fort: confinement, military service and family occupation.
The History
The nineteenth-century fort was built to defend the approaches to Philadelphia and Wilmington. During the Civil War it held Confederate soldiers and political prisoners. Thousands passed through the prison, and many died in confinement. Burials at Finn’s Point National Cemetery lie across the river in New Jersey, not inside a second cemetery implied by this map pin. Fort Delaware became a state park in 1951 following preservation advocacy. Its present-day interpretation sits alongside Pea Patch Island’s importance as bird habitat. The 2026 anniversary program reflects this dual identity: a conserved military landscape and a managed natural place reached by boat, rather than an abandoned fort open to unsupervised exploration.
A sense of place.
Visitor Experiences
Have you experienced something here?
This future chapter will bring together stories from the PHASM community. An unexpected encounter, a lingering feeling, or a quiet visit—your experience will be welcome.
Submissions are not open yet.
Sources & further reading.
- Delaware DNREC / State of Delaware News — Fort Delaware Debuts Fort Fest for 75th Anniversary (history)
- Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control — Unveiling Delaware’s Dark Secrets: Exploring the Haunted Fort Delaware and Beyond (reports)
- Delaware DNREC / State of Delaware News — Fort Delaware Debuts Fort Fest for 75th Anniversary (visiting)
- Delaware State Parks — Fort Delaware (visiting)
Plan Your Visit
Use Delaware State Parks for the current season, boat arrangements and event booking. The island is accessible by boat only; the fort’s map point is not a driving destination. Historical visits and paranormal programs have different tickets and schedules. This check established 2026 operation but not an available October departure, so confirm a dated program before traveling. Remain within the areas authorized by park staff.