Fort DuPont Fort DuPont , named in honor of Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont , is located between Delaware City and the modern Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the original Reeden Point tract , which was granted to Henry Ward in 1675 . The first fortification built was the Ten Gun Battery , an auxiliary to nearby Fort Delaware during the American Civil War . A twenty - gun battery was constructed on the reservation during the 1870s followed by a mine control casemate in 1892 . In 1897 - 1905 , Endicott Era emplacements were constructed for long - range rifles , mortars , and rapid - fire guns . In 1922 , the post became headquarters for the 1st Engineer Regiment , which garrisoned the post until 1941 . During World War II , Fort DuPont served as a mobilization station for deploying units , and contained a prisoner - of - war camp for captured German soldiers and sailors . After the war , Fort DuPont was declared surplus and offered to the Department of Veterans Affairs for use as a veterans hospital . After they declined , the state bought the site at a 100 percent discount and adapted existing structures for reuse . In 1948 , it officially opened as the Governor Walter W . Bacon Health Center . In 1992 , a large portion was re - designated as Fort DuPont State Park , which became Delaware ' s 13th state park . In 1999 , the site was officially designated the Fort DuPont Historic District after it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places . The historic district comprises Fort DuPont State Park and the Governor Bacon Health Center . Civil War . Ten Gun Battery , briefly called Fort Reynolds , was built from 1863 to 1864 on the farm of 1st Lt . Clement Reeves of the 5th Delaware Infantry Regiment . The first soldiers to garrison the post were artillerist from Capt . John Jay Young ' s Independent Battery G , Pittsburgh Heavy Artillery . Sgt . Bishop Crumrine of Young ' s Battery wrote , " This fortification is not properly a Fort but rather a water battery . Situated just across the river from Fort Delaware on the Delaware City side , it has five sides . The two longest sides being next to the river is a heavy breast work on which Six 10 - inch and four 15 - inch guns are mounted . " Spanish - American War . During the Spanish - American War and the following few years , major construction took place to upgrade the defense capabilities of the three forts defending the major ports along the Delaware River . Construction took place at Forts Mott , Delaware , and DuPont , in the form of Endicott Era batteries that mounted long - range rifles , mortars , and rapid - fire guns . These emplacements , although completed after the war , included Batteries Read and Gibson ( 8 - and 12 - inch rifled guns ) , Batteries Rodney and Best ( 16 - inch mortars ) , and Batteries Elder and Ritchie ( 3 - and 5 - inch rapid - fire guns respectively ) . On July 22 , 1899 , Army General Orders , No . 134 , official designated " the battery at Delaware City " as Fort DuPont , named in honor of Rear Adm . Samuel Francis Du Pont . During this time , according to the " Fort DuPont Flashes " , the post was garrisoned by members of the 4th U . S . Artillery under the command of Maj . Van Arsdale Andruss . World War I . During World War I , Fort DuPont continued serving the role of coastal defense as well as training post for local draftees and deploying artillery units . Following the war , the long range guns in Batteries Read and Gibson were dismounted and shipped elsewhere . Units such as the 7th Trench Mortar Battalion used the site for basic and advanced training before heading to France in October 1918 . Depression Era . Following the Great World War , Fort DuPont transitioned as a quartermaster depot , and engineer post with the arrival of the First Engineers in May 1922 . During this time , only Battery E , 7th Coast Artillery manned remaining artillery guns at Fort DuPont . On December 12 , 1932 , six sets of officer quarters were floated from Fort Mott in Pennsville , N . J . One set of quarters was floated over the year prior . From 1934 until 1936 , Fort DuPont and the 1st Engineer Regiment were commanded by Col . Ulysses S . Grant III , the grandson of President Ulysses S . Grant . World War II . During World War II Fort DuPont served as a mobilization station for deploying units . In 1941 , the 1st Engineer Battalion following re - designation , departed for overseas service . At the war ' s start , the post was the headquarters for the Harbor Defenses of the Delaware , with garrison units including the 21st Coast Artillery , 261st Coast Artillery , and 122nd Coast Artillery ( Anti - Aircraft ) . In 1942 , headquarters for harbor defenses was transferred , along with artillery troops , to Fort Miles in Lewes , Delaware . Col . George Ruhlen was post commander from 1940 until 1944 and following retirement was succeeded by Col . Randolph Russell . In May 1944 , the 1231st SCU prisoner - of - war camp was established using repurposed temporary buildings in the mobilization area . During the war , roughly 3 , 000 German POWs were housed at Fort DuPont . These POWs included members of the submarine " U - 858 " that surrendered off the coast of Lewes , Deleware , in 1945 . POWs worked as dishwashers , waiters , grocers , butchers , and other support roles on post as well as working on other local installations such as the New Castle Army Airfield . German POWs worked for civilian canneries , garbage companies and repaired sections of the boardwalk for the city of Rehoboth Beach . Following the war , effective December 31 , 1945 , Fort DuPont was placed " in the category of surplus " according to AG 602 ( dated October 5 , 1945 ) issued by the federal government . Post World War II . In 1948 , the post reopened as the Governor Bacon Health Center operated by the Delaware Division of Health and Social Services . In 1992 , a large portion was rededicated as Fort DuPont State Park . In 1976 , the Maj . Gen . Joseph J . Scannell Armory ( named in 1992 ) was built on the site of the former POW camp . In 1996 , this armory became the home station for the 153rd Military Police Company , a unit in the Delaware Army National Guard . Fort DuPont was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 . The Fort DuPont Historic District comprises roughly 350 acres and over 75 buildings , structures , and objects . Restoration and Preservation . During WWII , about 300 buildings and structures lined the streets of Fort DuPont . By 2011 , less than 80 historic buildings and structures remain . In 1947 , temporary mobilization barracks were torn down by the state prior to the opening of the health center . The mobilization hospital complex , recreation hall , and chapel were integrated into the health center ' s master plan . Today , only the chapel and one hospital building survive . The others have collapsed and were torn down . Most of the quarters on officers row were cannibalized and demolished by 1980 . Sections of Fort DuPont are governed by six different state agencies , which often leads to confusion over who is responsible for maintaining specific roads , buildings , and structures . Since the health center downsized in the late 1970s , state funding is limited and doesn ' t allot for basic maintenance and care of the buildings . Houses built in the 1890s to 1900s are plagued by collapsed chimneys , damaged roofs , broken windows , rotting porches , and in desperate need of a simple coat of paint . The twenty - gun battery is barely visible in summer months due to reclamation by invasive species . According to the Natural Lands Trust , most buildings / structures are at a point where they can be stabilized but waiting any longer could prove detrimental . In 2011 , the State of Delaware approved a $ 250 , 000 bond bill that will fund the creation of a master plan , which will focus on restoration , preservation , and adapting historic structures for modern use . Resident Curatorship Program . Currently , Delaware State Parks offers a resident curatorship program , which is an " opportunity for a public / private partnership in which the curator ( which may be a couple ) donates their own resources — time and / or money — to the restoration of an historic property in exchange for a long - term no - rent agreement . Because the cost to the curator is often much more than $ 100 , 000 , the term of the lease is typically for the life of the curator ( s ) " . Almost a dozen historic properties on Fort DuPont are available for residency as part of this curatorship program . There are also several buildings / structures that are available under a similar program zoned for regular businesses and non - profit organizations . In 2006 , the Fort Delaware Society became the first successful curator following the adaptive reuse of the quartermaster office ( Building 113 ) on Staff Lane . Since then , the Delaware Military Heritage & Education Foundation has signed on with the program , pledging to restore the Post Exchange & gymnasium ( Building 36 ) and a non - commissioned officer duplex ( Building 91 ) , both for use as part of the Delaware Military Museum . In 2007 , the post movie theater ' s very existence was threatened by years of neglect . State funding was scarce , due to the economy , but enough money was allocated to provide the 398 - seat theater with a new roof , drains and gutters , stabilized marque , and minor window repair . In 2007 , " The News Journal " published an article citing the theater ' s availability in the curatorship program . Delaware State Parks ' historian , Lee Jennings said it would be " the perfect place for the community to gather . . . " and watch plays , musicals , vintage films , as well as modern movies . Adaptive Reuse . Although not part of the curatorship program , almost a dozen historic buildings are currently under adaptive reuse status . The Renewal Center ( non - deomination ) operates out of the post chapel ( Building T - 213 ) , which was built in 1941 . The center , which maintains and cares for the building , has a lease through the Delaware Division of Health and Social Services ( DHSS ) . The Delaware Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is headquartered out of the old post headquarters ( Building 10 ) and has lease for the property through the Delaware Division of Natural Resources and Environmental Control ( DNREC ) . The double - company barracks ( Building 49 ) and band barracks ( Building 48 ) serve as the main hospital buildings for the Governor Bacon Health Center ( DHSS ) at Fort DuPont . In fact , several other historic structures still serve their original purpose , including the carpenter shop ( Building 61 ) and other maintenance buildings , which are utilized by DHSS . The Delaware Division of Purchasing operates a surplus warehouse in the original commissary ( Building 43 ) , and the state ' s fleet vehicles are housed and maintained in the original motor pool . In 2008 , Delaware State Parks ( part of DNREC ) restored one of the brick duplexes ( Building 90 ) , which according to Lee Jennings , will eventually contain 1930s furnishings and serve as a location for public programming .