Delaware State Parks
A Number Of The Delaware State Parks Owe Their Existence To The Du Pont Family, Owners Of The Giant Chemical Company
The fifteen State Parks in Delaware are operated by the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation in this, the second smallest state in America.
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To scroll down and see the list of Delaware State Parks Just Click Here |
Delaware is to be found on the north eastern section of the Delmarva Peninsula which juts into the Atlantic Ocean on the Eastern Seaboard to the north and east of Maryland. The state itself is only 2,490 square miles in size. |
Sunset Over The Lighthouse At Cape Henlopen
Delaware sits on a lowland plain and has the lowest average elevation of any state in the whole country, the highest point is only 447 feet above sea level.
It is made up of three counties, the fewest of any in the Union. They are called New Castle, Kent and Sussex. Over 60% of the population of Delaware live in the one county of New Castle.
The Delaware state parks system dates back to 1951 when Fort Delaware State Park and Trap Pond State Park were both created. Its heyday of expansion was during the 1960`s when seven more parks were added.
Since that time only a few new state parks in Delaware have been opened but that is hardly surprising when land is at such a premium and the state has one of the highest population densities in all America.
The nickname of Delaware is "The First State" because on the 7th of December 1787 it was the very first to ratify the Constitution of the United States. The state was named after a British nobleman, Thomas West, the 3rd Baron De La Warr. He was captain-general and governor for life of the colony of Virginia in the early 1600`s
The original European settlers in the region had been the Dutch who established a trading post in 1631 near what is now the town of Lewes. Sadly within a year they had all been slaughtered by Indians.
The Murderkill River In Killens Pond State Park
In the years that followed, Dutch, Swedes and Finns all settled in the area but in 1664 a British fleet arrived and claimed the land. They were to hold it until the American Revolution when Delaware was one of the thirteen colonies that rose up against the British rule.
At the beginning of the Civil War Delaware stayed firmly on the Union side despite nominally being a slave state. After the war the thousand or so remaining slaves were all granted their freedom.
The Delaware State Capitol Building
The state has no parks, beaches, seashores, forests or battlefields with a National designation so the Delaware State Parks have a more elevated status.
A number of the state parks in Delaware owe their existence to the DuPont family who were the founders of the world famous chemical company and who are based in the state. Examples of these are Bellevue State Park, Brandywine Creek State Park and Alapocas Run State Park.
If you have any questions regarding any of the Delaware state parks, here is the website of the Division of Parks and Recreation, they will answer any queries you may have.
Here is a list of the State Parks in Delaware
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And these are their locations on a county map of Delaware
