page_title: Cape Henlopen State Park
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Cape Henlopen State Park / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Gordon Pond Trail in Henlopen State Park Delaware
context_page_description: Cape Henlopen State Park is a Delaware state park on 5,193 acres on Cape Henlopen in Sussex County, Delaware, in the United States. William Penn made the beaches of Cape Henlopen one of the first public lands established in what has become the United States in 1682 with the declaration that Cape Henlopen would be for "the usage of the citizens of Lewes and Sussex County." Cape Henlopen State Park has a 24-hour and year-round fishing pier as well as campgrounds. The remainder of the park is only open from sunrise to sunset, and includes a bathhouse on the Atlantic Ocean, an area for surf-fishing, a disc golf course, and bicycle and walking paths. The beach at Herring Point is a popular surfing spot. The park is a stop on Delaware's Coastal Heritage Greenway.
  As with all Delaware state beaches, entrance is free during the off-season but costs $5 daily or $35 annually for Delaware-tagged vehicles and $10 daily or $70 annually for out of state vehicles from March 1 to November 30. Surf fishing season passes may be purchased at a cost of $80 per in-state vehicle and $160 per out-of-state vehicle. There are lower rates for the military, those getting social services and senior citizens.
context_section_description: Cape Henlopen, on Delaware Bay, has long been a public use area although it did not officially become a Delaware state park until 1964. William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania and early leader of Delaware, decreed that Cape Henlopen and its natural resources be set aside for the use and enjoyment of the citizens of the Delaware Colony. Penn's decree established Cape Henlopen as one of the first public use parcels of land in the Thirteen Colonies.
  The cape was an important strategic location for the U.S. Navy and Army during the American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Cape Henlopen Light, the sixth lighthouse  built on the Atlantic Coast, was constructed from 1767-1769. This lighthouse was in operation until 1924 when it was abandoned after it was extensively damaged in 1920 by a storm.  The lighthouse now rests at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, after falling into the water on April 13, 1926.
  A small gun platform was built by 1918 near the present site of Point Comfort parking lot.  It was abandoned and removed prior to construction of Fort Miles.
  During World War II, the U.S. Army built Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen. Numerous bunkers, concrete observation towers and the pier built to accommodate the laying of mines on the harbor floor remain today. Within the park grounds are a handful of fire control towers from that era, as well as underground gun batteries (bunkers) which were to be used in conjunction with the towers against the eventuality of air attack.
  Off the coast on the bay side are two lighthouses: the Harbor of Refuge Light and the Delaware Breakwater East End Light.
caption: The view of and from Gordon Pond Trail
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