Pea Patch Island Description

Can an island really grow out of a sunken ship? Pea Patch is an island rumored to have been brought up from the depths of a sunken ship. The myths state that as a ship made its way up the channel of the Delaware river around 1770, it broke apart, filled with water, and sank. This made the ship dump all of its cargo into the water; from here, an island emerged. Incidentally, the cargo in the ship were peas and this is how Pea Patch Island got its name. Only about 40 years later, in 1813, the island’s first fortification took place. Pea Patch Island which is only accessible by water using the Delaware Salem Ferry is approximately one mile long and is located in Delaware along the Delaware River and near the entrance of the Delaware Bay. The island faces Delaware City on the Delaware shore and Finns

First, Pea Patch is significant due to the fact that it is home to a nature preserve and an old prison camp. There does not seem to be any other place that has such a diverse setting. The nature preserve and the prison camp are also both tourist attractions. Visitors can visit the nature preserve and walk along the hiking trail while looking at and photographing the animals. The prison camp has been restored and is now a museum with historic interpreters acting as if they were back in the 1800’s. Fort Delaware also includes a gift shop, archives, and a library that tourists may like to visit. Fort Delaware is also said to be haunted. Anything haunted usually brings many tourists whether it is a Delaware native or a Ghost Hunters television crew. Pea Patch is beneficial for Delaware because the state is getting profit from the prison camp and all the tourists who pass through. Not only are they getting profit, but they are getting recognition. The Pea Patch Nature Preserve and Fort Delaware coincide to create the significance that is Pea Patch