Fort Delaware Opens for 2024

This year, we are entertaining three school districts who have not visited Fort Delaware in many, many years, and we hope that is the beginning of a trend, as we strive to expand and improve our Student Day programming, with the ultimate goal of being able to offer them to schools completely free of charge. Stay tuned.

As part of our grand opening, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, I will be delivering a special Memorial Day weekend program about Benjamin Tusten, the medical doctor who lost his life while treating the wounded at the Bettle of Minisink on July 22, 1779. The program, entitled “True to His Oath: The Battlefield Death of Dr. Benjamin Tusten,” kicks off our Bold Gold Media Speaker Series for 2024. The program is included with admission to the Fort, so we recommend you come early, enjoy a tour of the Fort, and stay for the presentation.

On Monday, May 27, Memorial Day, we will have a special Masonic memorial service at the Fort beginning at 11 a.m. And we will have a silent auction throughout the weekend, with the proceeds going to our Cushetunk Kids summer program.

As you might expect, we have many more special programs scheduled for the season, and more are in the works. We are very grateful for the grant from Bold Gold Media that has once again made this special programming possible, and we are striving to pack the season full of innovative, informative, and entertaining presentations. A full list of the programs scheduled so far is available on our website, thedelawarecompany.org.

We are also excited about two other exciting developments that will be introduced this year:

First of all, visitors to the Fort will notice that we are significantly expanding the footprint of our demonstration garden, adding approximately one-third additional space. The garden is typically the first stop for visitors touring the Fort, and the stories we tell include not just what the settlers grew for food, but what was planted and harvested for the treatment of wounds and disease, as well.

That brings us to a second major advancement this year. Thanks to the continued generosity of The Tiannaderrah Foundation and a grant from Americana Corner, we are in the process of renovating and upgrading our Apothecary and the narratives told there. While the physical upgrades are still in progress, we hope to have this new space in full swing for our Patriots and Loyalists Weekend on July 13 and 14. Meanwhile, the new narrative we have developed for that stop on the tour will educate and entertain you as never before.

On behalf of our Board of Directors, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to each of you for your continued support of our mission, and we look forward to seeing you at some (or all) of our upcoming programs. If you would consider making a fully tax-deductible contribution to The Delaware Company, you can do so by visiting our website and using the “Donate” button, or by mailing a check to the address shown below.

Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History is located on the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway at 6615 Route 97 in Narrowsburg, NY. It will be open from 10 to 5 on weekends only from May 25 through the end of June, and Thursday through Sunday in July and August, and weekends in September and October. Admission to the Fort is $10 per person, $7 for students, seniors, and military personnel. Fort Delaware is owned by Sullivan County and operated by The Delaware Company.

Hope to see you all this season!