As a heavily-laden ship made its way up the channel of the Delaware River around 1770, it foundered and broke apart on a mud shoal, dumping its cargo of peas into the water. When the peas sprouted, an island eventually emerged. Ergo, the legend of how Pea Patch Island came into existence between Delaware City, Del., and Salem County, N.J.
Habitation on the island remained relegated to migratory birds until the early 19th century. As it grew in size, government officials recognized the potential for inclusion of Pea Patch in a military defense system for the Atlantic coastal area. The construction of a wooden fort resulted; designed to protect the upriver cities of New Castle and Philadelphia from attack. By mid-century, however, a massive …show more content…
At first, the fort’s authorities interred these dead prisoners on the island. Later, an area was set aside on Finn’s Point on the New Jersey side of the river for the increasing number of burials.
Over time, unusual occurrences took place on Pea Patch Island. Ed Okonowicz documented these stories in “Civil War Ghosts at Fort Delaware.” He writes, “Do some of these troubled spirits remain within the Civil War fort’s walls?”
The author, who doubles as a guide on “ghost tours,” has seen “the fainthearted want to head for … the safety of the mainland” once they “cross the drawbridge over the moat, pass beyond the 10-foot-tall, black iron doors and arrive in the dark hall-like entrance (called the sallyport).” The Discovery Channel sent a crew to film happenings at Fort Delaware, “one of the most haunted sites in the United States near the
Habitation on the island remained relegated to migratory birds until the early 19th century. As it grew in size, government officials recognized the potential for inclusion of Pea Patch in a military defense system for the Atlantic coastal area. The construction of a wooden fort resulted; designed to protect the upriver cities of New Castle and Philadelphia from attack. By mid-century, however, a massive …show more content…
At first, the fort’s authorities interred these dead prisoners on the island. Later, an area was set aside on Finn’s Point on the New Jersey side of the river for the increasing number of burials.
Over time, unusual occurrences took place on Pea Patch Island. Ed Okonowicz documented these stories in “Civil War Ghosts at Fort Delaware.” He writes, “Do some of these troubled spirits remain within the Civil War fort’s walls?”
The author, who doubles as a guide on “ghost tours,” has seen “the fainthearted want to head for … the safety of the mainland” once they “cross the drawbridge over the moat, pass beyond the 10-foot-tall, black iron doors and arrive in the dark hall-like entrance (called the sallyport).” The Discovery Channel sent a crew to film happenings at Fort Delaware, “one of the most haunted sites in the United States near the