The Penn's Grove record., 1905-06-09
!. FORT CASIMIR
A Monument Erected At New Castle
To The Dutch

iHehb was Holu on thursday alGeruooI "
last week, June LIST, Mrs. Charles K.
Miller, president of the Delaware Society
said; "We are now on the site OF Fort
Cashmere. 1t is not altogether unfamil-
lar to many here assembled. On this
site we have erected a testimonial to
commemorate the occupancy OF Delaware
by the Dutch. The society which l rep
resent has three seals, of the dates OF
1888, 1866 and 1852. The society has
planted three great national emblems.
Two years ago the society marked the
landing of the Swedes with a suitable
monument in Wilmington and l hope
that the occasion will soon take place
when we shall mark the landing of the
English in 1858, when Penn landed. 1t
now gives me great pleasure to Introduce
Mr.. Alexander B. Cooper"
Mr.. Cooper spoken in part, as follows:
Fort Casimir was built by Petrus Stuy-
vesant, the Dutch director-general of the
whole of the New Netherlands, in the
year 1861, and 1 feel justified in saying,
in the month of June. Indeed, l am SO
firm in belief that | do not think it all
improbable that on this very day of the
month 254 years ago, and at this very
hOur'busy hands we're busily working
upon its construction.
The causes which inspired its erection
may be briefly stated. In 1862 or 1923,
by the authority of its charter. The
Dutch West India Co. took possession of
the entire New Netherland country,
which included all the territory lying on
both sides of the South (now the Della
ware River. Its central government was
at New Amsterdam, N. Y. In 1924 the
Dutch built Fort Nassau, Gloucester, n. ]
Subsequently, under the charter of the
Swedish West India Co., an expedition
of Swedes "for the purposes of trade and
commerce. under the dictatorship of
| Peter Minuet, arrived in the spring of
1888 and landed on the northern shore
of Minqua Creek, as it was then called,
but afterwards called by the Swedes
Christina Creek in honor Of their young
sovereign. 1t is now called Christiana
River. A short distance from its mouth
they built a fort and still further honor
ing their queen, named it Fort Christina,
Wilmington.
THUS they obtained a substantial foot
hold OH the soil claimed by the Dutch.
The Dutch had no Notifications on this
side of the river at that time. They there
fore became alarmed and ~apprehensive of
this Ito them unauthorized encroach-
ment of the Swedes. Their forces at Fort
Nassau were too weak and insufficient to
dispossess them. But alter a few years
Of protest the intrepid, courageous, head
strong and self-willed Dutch governor,
Stuyvesant, ever ready to draw the
sword, came over from New Amsterdam,
and ON May 25th, 1862, abandoned Fort
Nassau, anne down the river and after
a brief parley with the Swedish
governor, Printzm, wherein he conceded
certain territory south of the Christina
Greek to the Dutch, Gov. Stuyvesant at
once went to work and built Fort CAST
mir, in order to maintain the Dutch au-
thority on this side of the river.
1t was a small, palisaded, wooded
structure, and doubtless completed be-
fore the end of the month. In a very
few years it began to go into decay-was
of no practical use for defensive purposes
after the year 1659-and was a wreck and
thing of the past in 1871.
The records of New Castle county now
show the boundaries of the lot upon
which it was built with unerring accuracy
and from contempOraneOus history we
are able to fix almost the exact spot of
ground upon which it stood. Most if net
all of the ground upon which the fort
stood had been submerged and washed
away by the erosion of the remorseless
tide.
The Swedes continued their protests
against the building of the fort, as being
Oh their soil, but the Dutch remained in
possession until John Clause Risingh, a
Swede of large proportions, in pursuance
of his official instructions, tie extend and
enlarge the Swedish colony, appeared
with his military retinue before Fort CAST
mir about May 31st, 1854, and took pos
session of it without difficulty. As a fact
well authenticated in history, it was ig-
ANONYMOUSLY surrendered, solely through
the false representations of Risingh that
he was a commissioner of the Dutch West
India CO. and was authorized to take
possession. The taking of the fort by
the Swedes was accomplished on Trinity
Sunday and in their reverence of the day
they called it Fort Trinity.
This event was a serious blow to the
Dutch and they became generally alarm
ed. Gov. Stuyvesant, who was at New
Amsterdam, was informed of the situa-
ton. He at once communicated with the
| company at Holland. After some delay
and much correspondence, he was order
ed to exert every energy" and drive
| 'the Swedes from every side of the river"
On September 4th, 1866, he sailed from
New Amsterdam, with some six or seven
| vessels and about 900 men. He arrived
at Fort Trinity, as it was called, on the
18th of the month. He landed his troops
without opposition. Not a gun was fired.
He at once demanded the immediate and
unconditional surrender OF the fort. Sven
| Schultz, the Swedish commander, after a
brief parley, surrendered and delivered
the fort and all its property and possess
| ions to Stuyvesant to be thereafter held
| by the Dutch West India Co. Gov. Stuy-
vesant, in further obedience to his in
| structions, ito drive the Swedes from the
| river" at nee marched over to Fort
| Christina, and after a seige of ID days
and the firing of asingle gun" the Swedes
surrendered and the Dutch took possess
ion OH September 25th, 1865. Thus end
ed forever Swedish control on the South
(now Delaware) River. The Dutch were
in full possession. They called their COL
ony the South River Colony. They
changed the name of Fort Christina to
Fort Altoona, and Fort Trinity resumed
it's ~originul name of Fort Casimir.
The settlement or town which had
grown up adjacent to the latter fort was
then for the first time called New or
Neiur Amstel. The Dutch, with many
local quarrels and differences among
themselves and with the Swedes, who re.
manned with themi and the constant
dread OF invasion by the English, (who
also claimed title to the territory contin-
ued in possession and control until Oct,
1864. Charles II, then King of England
in a eft of love" for his brother James,
Duke of York. granted to him oil March
18th, 1864, the whole of the New Neither
lands country. Some historians tersely
say that the reason for the making OF
this grant arose out of the Kings lack OF
respect for his old enemies, the Dutch,
and his consequent desire to drive them
on April I'd, 1864, appointed Col. Rich
ard Nichols deputy-governor over all his
territory in America, and associated with
!, him Sir Robert Care, knight. They