Fort Mifflin on the Deleware |
||||
| Posted- Yes. | Patrolled- Yes. The Fort is not really "Abandoned". | Location- Philadelphia, Pa | ||
| Danger Level- Low | Dangers- There really are not too many dangers here, for the sites that are...are blocked off. | |||
| Cool Factor- 4 | Haunted- Yes, and this has been documented by Kenny (See the PIRA site for details) | Visits- 8 | ||
| Some history about Fort Mifflin- Planning for
the Fort began in 1771 by British engineer John Montresor. The site of Mud
Island was chosen and construction began. As tension between the American
Colonies and Great Britian increased, construction came to a halt. However,
once the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the Fort was put into service
against invading British forces. Benjamin Frankiln headed a committee to
provide defenses for the city of Philadelphia, which include Fort Mifflin,
Fort Mercer across the Deleware and a few sweet little devices called "chevaux
de frise". These suckers are large spikes sunk into the river, with the purpose
of impeding the progress of enemy ships.
In September of 1777, British troops, led by Gen. Sir William Howe, met up and defeated the the troops of George Washington's Continental Army. On September 26th, the British had taken control of Philadelphia. The only thing keeping them from total victory was an extremely stressed supply line. To open up this supply line, the British laid siege to Fort Mifflin and Fort Mercer in early October. The siege last into the middle of November, and destroyed most of Fort Mifflin's defenses. Our boys held out as long as they could. By November 15th, the American troops abandoned the Fort. The troops had held out long enough so that the British had to stay in Philadelphia for the winter, allowing George Washington to lead his troops to Valley Forge. Most of the restoration of the Fort started back in 1795. Many of the buildings that can be seen today were actually hold-overs from the original construction of 1774. During the Civil War, the fort was used to hold Confederate prisoners of war, as well as Union soldiers and civilians who were lawbreakers. The fort was in service as late as the Korean War, in the 1950s. In 1962, the Fort was deeded back to the city of Philadelphia.
Although the Fort has gained a reputation for a lot
of paranormal activity, it is also a very cool place to visit. No, it's not
actually abandoned. The is a restoration project in progress and many events
are held here. The Fort is open throughout the year, except New Years Day,
Good Friday, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Fort
is open from 10 AM to 4 PM. You can get guided tours with advance notice. My Visits- I've visited Fort Mifflin several times. I first started visiting back when I worked with a Philly group of ghost hunters. With them, I had the chance to stay here overnight 4 times, as well as work a seminar that was held here. I've had the opportunity to see every inch of this huge site, including many that are off limits to the general public. |
||||
Built - 1771 Inactive- 1950s Deeded to Philly- 1962 |
|
|||
