The Block House was believed to have been constructed in 1654 under instruction of Johan Risingh, who was the last Governor of the Colony of New Sweden. Chief Peminacka of the Minqua tribe had deeded the large tract of land along Naaman's Creek to John Risingh on behalf of the Swedish colony. The structure was originally designed for defense. During September 1655, the Block House was taken by the Dutch West India Company under Peter Stuyvesant at the same time Dutch forces captured Fort Christina. In 1671, the Block House was attacked by Native Americans. It was captured by the British Army in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War.