The site of Delaware’s sole Revolutionary War land battle is getting a makeover.
Plans for a publicly accessible and community-focused experience at Cooch’s Bridge historical site have been in motion for over a year now, but an $800,000 grant from the National Park Service will help see it through to the finish line.
Cooch’s Bridge is a new site for Delaware’s Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, and a lot of work is needed to transition it to an open public site.
That includes creating necessary infrastructure, like accessible restrooms, a parking lot, and a clear and traffic-friendly entrance.
“Prior to doing any of that we want to do archaeological work to make sure we're not disturbing or damaging any of the cultural resources that we're just not aware of, since they're under the ground. Anything we run into, while on the one hand it may delay the project a little bit, is great for us because we get to learn more about the site,” said Dan Citron, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs’ historic sites team manager.
A small portion of National Park Service funding will also go toward updating the site’s National Register of Historic Places nomination.
Citron says there’s a lot to do, but they’re already getting started.
“It's just a matter of putting together the formal project list and the timing of everything, and going through sort of that approval process with the National Park Service, and then starting to hire people to put out bids depending on the level of what that work is,” explained Citron.
The project is expected to be completed in 2026 - the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
