Fort Delaware State Park in Delaware City is hosting an annual prisoner of war living history events this weekend.
Visitors will get a peak at what life was like at Fort Delaware in the 1860’s during the Civil War. Between the years 1862 and 1865, about 33,000 prisoners spent time at Fort Delaware.
Jacob Miller is the interpretive programs manager for Fort Delaware.
He says this weekend’s events will bring that portion of the Fort’s history
“POW weekend is probably the best time that we portray that. We have a number of volunteer reenactors coming in and it’s really going to portray the Confederate prisoner experience at Fort Delaware; it’s a great time to see what it’s all about,” Miller said.
Miller says there are a variety of special programs throughout the weekend.
"We will actually portray the Confederate prisoners arriving at Fort Delaware. And so they’ll march into the entrance to the Fort, they’ll be searched, they’ll be given the chance to take an oath of allegiance to the United States government and then eventually march out to their barracks." said Miller. "We’ll also do a mail call.”
He says visitors can also view many of the park’s regular daily events, like seeing the Fort’s blacksmith, listening to Civil War folk songs or watching musketry drills.
Admission to the Fort is $12 for adults, $7 for children and $11 for those 60 and older AND active military. Children under two get in for free.
