Fort Mifflin, PA

[awhitster]

Here is an old fort I visited along the Delaware river. No MDing but what a history it has. (more pics in the next reply).

Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery, and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud or Deepwater Island on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the island's back channel has since filled in, and the Fort is reachable by auto). During the American Revolutionary War, the fort was a centerpiece of the British conquest of Philadelphia. The name "Fort Mifflin" became official in 1795. The fort was rebuilt in beginning in 1794 during the presidency of John Adams according to Pierre L'Enfant's design, and added to in the 19th century.

 

[awhitster]

More of Fort Mifflin.

 

[awhitster]

...and still more Fort Mifflin.

 

[Da Yooper]

MD'ers dream, Just imagine what you could find. Very nice pictures.

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Thanking you one more time for the pictures.

 

[oldrivers]

great pictures thanks for sharing them. Nothing like that in Texas. I saw the sign with no detectors. That's a rule of thumb in all national landmarks.

 

[awhitster]

great pictures thanks for sharing them. Nothing like that in Texas. I saw the sign with no detectors. That's a rule of thumb in all national landmarks.

Actually it was owned by the city of Philly. They didn't want it so it is now privately owned. It is a National Historic Landmark.

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

I visited Fort Mercer in Red Bank though, across the Delaware.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Great pics Stevo.

Bill

 

[lee5608]

Actually, no. If you were to use a metal detector at the Fort and covered all 42 acres of the compound you find little to nothing in the way of artifacts. Due to our location being in close proximity to the Delaware River our water table is approximately 18 inches. The center of the parade Ground which is located in the center of the Fort is actually three feet below the river's highest tide. Because of this and the countless floods that have occurred at the Fort over the past 230 years, most of the soil in the interior grounds has sunk and now it is almost entirely made up of backfill which has been added to the original level from 1805 to 1946. During the only battle that occurred at the Fort in 1777, the interior of the Fort was made up of nothing but mud (hence the name Mud Island.) The original island on which the Fort was built in 1771 was nothing more than a mud flat 300 yards off the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. As Steve pointed out in his first post, the channel that use to be between the island and the river bank is filled in. Mostly by sentiments over the past 230 years, but also by dredge fill from 1877, 1915 and 1941. I have been here over 10 years and not a single Revolutionary War artifact has ever been discovered here. No buttons, bullets, bones (over 200 men were killed in the Rev War battle,) weapons, nothing. We have discovered some 1812 and Civil War artifacts over the years, but we are not sure if they are local or from the soil fill that was brought in over the centuries. But it is still a wonderful place to discover history, wildlife in abundance not seen anywhere else and people that love to talk about the history of the site and welcome visitors. Check it out on our website www.fortmifflin.us We welcome you to come and discover it yourself...without the metal detector please. Lee Patrick Anderson, Executive Director, Fort Mifflin on the Delaware

 

[awhitster]

Lee,

Thanks for visiting our metal detecting site and responding to my post about Fort Mifflin. I had seen it from the air while flying into Philly the previous Saturday but couldn't get to it until late Friday. I got to the fort about an hour after the official closing. The caretakers were nice enough (and after a good donation on my part) to let me tour the site. I was flying back to CA the next morning. I love American history. As soon as I walked in I had remembered seeing a show on TV about underground city's that profiled the fort. Believe me, I would like nothing better than to metal detect there (as well as many others) but I (and my friends) are on the up and up and respect the law and history of this area and others. Once again thanks to your staff for letting me in during the off hours.

Awhitster from CA.