DOCSLIB.ORG

Fort Miles Military Reservation, Delaware Formerly Used Defense

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Fort Miles Military Reservation, Delaware Formerly Used Defense Fort Miles Military Reservation, DE FACT SHEET as of January 25, 2019 AUTHORIZATION: Defense Environmental Restoration Program TYPE OF PROJECT: Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) PROJECT PHASE: Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) Feasibility Study, Proposed Plan, Removal Actions, Design and Implementation of Land Use Controls CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST: Senators Carper and Coons (DE) and Representative Rochester (DE-At Large) BACKGROUND: The former Fort Miles Military Reservation (FMMR) consisted of 2,011 acres located in Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware. The FMMR served primarily as a Coast Artillery Installation during World War I and World War II, providing for the defense of Delaware’s Atlantic coast line and protection of the entrance to Delaware Bay. In 1941, the Department of the Navy established the Harbor Entrance Control Post and placed mines in the channel leading to the Delaware Bay. A fortress with gun emplacements, ammunition dumps, and living quarters was constructed. Several small arms firing ranges and a rocket range were also established. Approximately 60 percent of the site was used for military training. During World War II, Fort Miles was also used as a prisoner of war camp for German and Italian prisoners. Following World War II, the site remained an active Army installation and was used as a training post during the Korean War. The FMMR closed in 1958. In 1961, any remaining land was transferred to the Department of Navy, which was subsequently transferred to the State of Delaware in 1996. Historical research of the site indicated that a variety of artillery was used at Fort Miles, however, training activities with live ammunition were limited due to the relatively small size of the site. The munitions that have the greatest potential to be present at the site today are the 3.5-inch and 2.36-inch inert practice rockets. Research revealed personal testimony of 3.5-inch inert practice rockets being found and removed from the site by the public. A Remedial Investigation (RI) began in 2004. Based on the RI, nine areas of concern were identified as Munitions Response Sites (MRS). These MRS included three small arms ranges, three suspect burial sites, a burn pit, a training area and a pair of overlapping rocket ranges. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – BALTIMORE DISTRICT 2 Hopkins Plaza, Baltimore, MD 21201 http://www.nab.usace.army.mil Page 1 of 2 USACE completed an initial Remedial Investigation (RI) in 2006 and a final Decision Document in December 2007. In accordance with the 2007 decision document, USACE instituted a Land Use Control plan beginning in October 2008. A supplemental Archive Search Report (ASR) identified that eleven coastal batteries associated with this site required investigation and also expanded the affected areas for Skeet and Rifle/Pistol Ranges. The supplemental RI was completed in 2009 with no noteworthy MEC or MC issues identified. STATUS: The site is now in Long Term Management (LTM). The second LTM five-year review was completed in September 2018 and indicated that the land use control remedy is adequately protective. Future investigation work is planned for the water ranges. For more information regarding the Fort Miles Military Reservation FUDS project, please contact Brent Graybill, CENAB-EN-HN, (410) 962-4258, e-mail [email protected]. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – BALTIMORE DISTRICT 2 Hopkins Plaza, Baltimore, MD 21201 http://www.nab.usace.army.mil Page 2 of 2 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Delaware -Fort Miles Military Reservation FUDS
    Fort Miles Military Reservation, DE FACT SHEET as of March 2, 2018 AUTHORIZATION: Defense Environmental Restoration Program TYPE OF PROJECT: Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) PROJECT PHASE: Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) Feasibility Study, Proposed Plan, Removal Actions, Design and Implementation of Land Use Controls CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST: Senators Carper and Coons (DE) and Representative Blunt (DE-At Large) BACKGROUND: The former Fort Miles Military Reservation (FMMR), originally called Cape Henlopen Military Reservation, consisted of 2,011.25 acres located in Lewes, Sussex County, Delaware. The Post was formally named Fort Miles in 1938.The FMMR served primarily as a Coast Artillery Installation during World War I and World War II, providing for the defense of Delaware’s Atlantic coast line and protection of the entrance to Delaware Bay. In 1941, the Department of the Navy established the Harbor Entrance Control Post and placed mines in the channel leading to the Delaware Bay. A fortress with gun emplacements, ammunition dumps, and living quarters was constructed. Several small arms firing ranges and a 3.5-inch rocket range were also established. Approximately 60 percent of the site was used for military training. During World War II, Fort Miles was also used as a prisoner of war camp for German and Italian prisoners. Following World War II, the site remained an active Army installation and was used as a training post during the Korean War. The FMMR closed in 1958. In 1961, any remaining land was transferred to the Department of Navy, which was subsequently transferred to the State of Delaware in 1996.
    [Show full text]
  • Remember Mid-April 1970, America Was Angry
    EAaN rth Day TO Remember mid-April 1970, America was angry. The baby boomers had become cynical, mistrusting In parents, business, industry and Back in 1970, John Stenger government. This generation was especially disdainful of the so-called military-indus - and a band of students came to trial complex that President Dwight Eisenhower had warned about. The Vietnam War dragged on, filling the defense of Cape Henlopen’s the 6 o’clock news with death and destruction, and no end was in sight. The previous month, the Army had imperiled dunes charged 14 officers with suppressing the truth about the horrific My Lai massacre in Vietnam, where as many as 500 essentially unarmed civilians had been murdered by U.S. troops. The hopeful Apollo 13 moon mission had suffered an oxygen tank explosion a few days before, forcing its hasty retreat to Earth. The Cold War with the communist USSR was tense and dispiriting, and Paul McCartney had just announced the breakup of the Beatles. To many Americans, the future seemed dismal and hundreds of thousands had taken to the streets and college cam - puses to protest the nation’s various problems. Among those concerns was the environment. Decades of hellbent-for-leather industrial develop - ment with little regard for the land, oceans and air was taking an ever-greater toll. To a growing number of people, this threat trumped all others: If you can’t breathe the air, can’t eat the food, and can’t drink the water, little else mattered. Scientists and other con - cerned individuals were beginning to sound the alarm, and people were beginning to listen.
    [Show full text]
  • World War II Finding
    A Guide to World War II Resources at the Delaware Public Archives Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Notes on Access ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Federal Records at the Delaware Public Archives ........................................................................................ 6 Governor’s Papers (RG 1302)....................................................................................................................... 8 State Council of Presidents and Executives ............................................................................................ 13 Delaware Department of State Records (RG 1325) .................................................................................... 15 Delaware Veterans Military Pay Commission (RG 1470) .......................................................................... 24 Delaware Department of Transportation (RG 1540) .................................................................................. 29 Delaware State Council of Defense (RG 1673) .......................................................................................... 29 Military Records (RG 1800) ....................................................................................................................... 33 Sussex County Levy Court (RG 4200) ......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Fiscal Year 2019 Budget
    Fiscal Year 2019 DNREC Capital Improvements Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Working for Delaware • Investing in open space • Protecting critical infrastructure • Cleaning up and managing Delaware’s waterways • Improving outdoor recreational opportunities • Cleaning up abandoned industrial sites • Remediating/redeveloping brownfields • Helping communities mitigate and adapt to climate change and sea level rise • Increasing recycling Trap Pond State Park 3 Capital Budget History 35.0 30.0 25.0 20.0 $ Millions 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 GRB Recent Highlights • 2,124 children attended education programs at the National Estuarine Research Reserve • 88,980 overnight stays (camping and cabins) in state parks (up 19% and a new record) • 105,000 samples tested (groundwater, surface water, soil, sediment and biological samples tested for multiple parameters) • 664 home heating oil tanks removed or filled in place Cape Henlopen State Park Investing in Open Space • More than 103,300 acres of lands managed • 35 park and wildlife areas • 10 nature preserves • 2 National Estuarine Research Reserve locations • 124 conservation easements Blackbird Creek Reserve (DNERR) Protecting Critical Infrastructure • 2,000 miles of tax ditches • 42 state-owned dams • 619 structures on State Park lands, 80 on Fish & Wildlife lands • 65 freshwater ponds and marine fishing access areas • 244 miles of trails • More than 100 miles of roads Killens Pond State Park Managing Delaware’s Waterways
    [Show full text]
  • Surviving American Seacoast Artillery Weapons February 2021
    232 American Seacoast Defenses Surviving American Seacoast Artillery Weapons February 2021 Compiled: Lists in various CDSG publications prepared by C.L. Kimbell (1985), R.D. Zink (1989), T.C. McGovern (1992 and 1996) and Tom Batha (2014-16). General Note: This is an attempt to list surviving weapons (or the same model/type) that were used by the American armed forces, either in the U.S. and overseas, in a coast defense role in the “modern era” (1890 to 1950). Items to be included in this list must retain at least the whole gun/mortar/howitzer. Sur- viving weapons from earlier periods, muzzleloading cannon (rifled and smoothbore), field artillery (except for 155mm), mobile anti-aircraft guns, and British, Canadian, or Mexican coast artillery are excluded from this list, even if used in North America. In a few cases, weapons have been included because they represent weapons similar to those used for coast defense, and are sufficiently interesting to warrant inclusion. Every effort has been made to make this list as accurate as possible, but it will probably contain a number of er- rors and omissions. Corrections and additions can be sent to Tom Batha ([email protected]), Mark Berhow ([email protected]) or Terry McGovern ([email protected]) The list is arranged by caliber (largest to smallest). The first line contains data about the weapon: the quantity at the site, the caliber of weapon (inches or millimeters), the model, serial number, place of manu- facture, and carriage information, if known. The next lines contain information on where the weapon was previously located as coast defense weapon.
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehensive Land Use Plan
    TOWN OF Slaughter Beach COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN AUGUST 2018 TOWN OF SLAUGHTER BEACH Contents • TOWN, COUNTY AND STATE OFFICIALS ........................................................................................................ v • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................ vi Chapter I BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. The Authority to Plan ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Public Participation .............................................................................................................................. 1 A. Resilient Community Partnership (RCP) ............................................................................................... 1 B. Comprehensive Land Use Planning Committee ................................................................................... 4 1.3. Overview of the Community ................................................................................................................ 4 A. Location ................................................................................................................................................ 4 B. Community, History, and Characteristics ............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • DELAWARE STATE PARKS 2019 Annual Report Blank Page Delaware State Parks 2019 Annual Report
    DELAWARE STATE PARKS 2019 Annual Report Blank Page Delaware State Parks 2019 Annual Report Voted America’s Best Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Division of Parks & Recreation Blank Page TABLE OF CONTENTS What Who Things How We Info By We Are We Are We Do Pay For It Park 5 Our Parks and 7 Our People Put 18 Preserving, 24 Funding the 35 Alapocas Run Preserves Us on Top in Supporting, Parks FY19 Teaching 37 Auburn Valley More Than 26 Investments in Parks 12 Volunteers 19 Programming Our Parks 39 Bellevue and by the Fox Point 6 Accessible to 14 Friends of Numbers 29 Small All Delaware State Businesses 42 Brandywine Parks 20 Protect and Creek Serve 30 Partnerships 16 Advisory 44 Cape Henlopen Councils 22 We Provided 32 Management Grants Challenges 47 Delaware Seashore and Indian River Marina 50 Fenwick Island and Holts Landing 52 First State Heritage Park 54 Fort Delaware, Fort DuPont, and Port Penn Interpretive Center 56 Killens Pond 58 Lums Pond 60 Trap Pond 62 White Clay Creek 65 Wilmington State Parks and Brandywine Zoo Brandywine Creek State Park 15 2004 YEARS TIMELINE Parts of M Night Shyamalan’s movie “The Village” are filmed at the Flint Woods ofBrandywine AGO ANNIVERSARIES Creek State Park. Brandywine Creek State Park Brandywine Creek State 1979 Alapocas Run State Park Park begins to offer the Division’s first Auburn Valley State Park Bellevue State Park interpretive programs 40 Fox Point State Park Wilmington State Parks/ YEARS White Clay Creek State Park Brandywine Zoo AGO Fort Delaware State Park Fort Delaware 1954 Fort DuPont State Park opens for three consecutive Lums Pond State Park 65 Delaware weekends as a test of public interest and YEARS State Parks draws 4,500 visitors.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Annual Report Inside Front Cover Delaware State Parks 2018 Annual Report
    DELAWARE STATE PARKS 2018 Annual Report Inside front cover Delaware State Parks 2018 Annual Report Voted America’s Best Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Division of Parks & Recreation Blank page TABLE OF CONTENTS What Who Things How We Info By We Are We Are We Do Pay For It Park 5 Our Parks and 7 Our People Put 16 Preserving, 22 Funding the 33 Alapocas Run Preserves Us on Top in Supporting, Parks FY18 Teaching 35 Auburn Valley More Than 24 Investments in Parks 11 Volunteers 17 Programming Our Parks 37 Bellevue and by the Fox Point 6 Accessible to 13 Friends of Numbers 26 Partnerships All Delaware State 40 Brandywine Parks 18 Protect and 29 Small Creek Serve Businesses 14 Advisory 42 Cape Henlopen Councils 19 We Provided 30 Management Grants Challenges 45 Delaware Seashore and Indian River Marina 49 Fenwick Island and Holts Landing 51 First State Heritage Park 53 Fort Delaware, Fort DuPont, and Port Penn Interpretive Center 55 Killens Pond 57 Lums Pond 59 Trap Pond 62 White Clay Creek 65 Wilmington State Parks and Brandywine Zoo TIMELINE Wilmington State Parks/Brandywine Zoo The Division took over the management of the Brandywine 1998 ANNIVERSARIES Zoo and three parks in the City of Wilmington: Brandywine Park, Rockford Park and Alapocas Woods. 20 Auburn Valley State Park Brandywine Creek State Park YEARS 2008 Alapocas Run State Park AGO Tom and Ruth Marshall donated Bellevue State Park Auburn Heights to the Fox Point State Park Division, completing the 10 Auburn Heights Preserve. YEARS Shortly after, the remediation and AGO development of the former Fort Delaware State Park NVF property began.
    [Show full text]
  • National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Battery223 Cape May County, New Jersey Section Number 7 Page 1
    NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Oct 1990) RECEIVED 2280 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service MAY 1 4 National Register of Historic Places NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC 'P^ Registration Form NATIONAL PAPK SERVfC' This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of eligibility for individual properties or districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories listed in the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property___________________________________________________ historic name Battery 223________________________________________________ other names/site number _____________________________________________ 2. Location Beach at Cape May State Park street & number _____ | | not for publication city or town Lower Township _______ | | vicinity state New Jersey code NJ county Cape May code 009 zip code 08212 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I certify that this nomination I | request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register ofJHistoric Places and meets the procedup^and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets | | does not meet the National Register criteria.
    [Show full text]
  • Fort Miles to Unveil Projects This Spring Discovery of Unexploded Ordnance Brings Work to Halt Temporarily
    Fort Miles to unveil projects this spring Discovery of unexploded ordnance brings work to halt temporarily The sandy area being transformed into a new parking area for Fort Miles is where workers found buried unexploded shells. Ron MacArthur January 20, 2019 The new year is shaping up to be a major one for Fort Miles. By the end of April, the Fort Miles Historical Association and Delaware State Parks will unveil a $1 million project that includes a new road and a 103-space parking lot for the fort and its museum in the underground Battery 519. In addition, work is progressing on a special-events venue overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on top of the 80-foot dune at Battery 519 accessible only to paying museum or special-events guests. “It's a very unique spot on the East Coast,” said association member Mark Chura, who is coordinating the projects. “It's the highest point between Cape Cod, Mass., and Kill Devil Hills, N.C.” Ordnance unearthed in sand Workers had a major surprise during site work on the parking lot when a cache of unexploded shells was unearthed in the sand. Then a few days later, another cache was found nearby by a hiker. “That brought everything to a halt,” said Gary Wray, association president. He said the discoveries set into motion an established protocol involving the Delaware State Police bomb squad and the U.S. Army Corps shutting down work on the Fort Miles project. “The contractor moved to another job, but we expect them back next week,” Wray said.
    [Show full text]
  • FORT DELAWARE HAER No. DE-56 Pea Patch Island Delaware City Vicinity New Castle County Delaware
    /- FORT DELAWARE HAER No. DE-56 Pea Patch Island Delaware City vicinity New Castle County Delaware PHOTOGRAPHS WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD National Park Service Northeast Region U. S. Custom House 200 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 fiAER DEL I- HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD FORT DELAWARE HAERNo. DE-56 Location: Pea Patch Island, Delaware City vicinity, New Castle County, Delaware USGS 7.5' Topographic Series Delaware City, DE-NJ Quadrangle. Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates: 18.451300.4382340 Date of Construction: 1833 Engineer: Captain Richard Delafield Present Owner: State of Delaware; Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Present Use: Historic Site / State Park Significance: Fort Delaware served as the primary defense of the Delaware River from the second quarter of the 19th century until the start of World War II. The Fort played an important role during the Civil War when the facility served as the largest prisoner of war camp in the North. A constant theme in the fort's history, represented by the sea wall, has been the need to exclude the tide from Pea Patch Island and to adequately drain the facilities thereon. Unsanitary conditions of the prisoner of war camp, in part stemming from poor drainage, gave the Fort the reputation of being the Union's counterpart to the infamous Confederate prisoner of war camp at Andersonville. Project Information: The Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposes to undertake a deepening of the Delaware River Main Channel and has determined the project will have an accelerating effect upon erosion taking place on the southeast corner of Pea Patch Island.
    [Show full text]
  • FORT MILES Pg
    MI RT LE O S F YESTERDAY FMHA 261 TODAY AND TOMORROW H ISTO ION RICAL ASSOCIAT ISSUE 001.01 DECEMBER, 2004 IN THIS ISSUE GET INVOLVED CREATING THE HELP RESTORE U-858 DIORAMA FORT MILES pg. 8 FORT MILES & FORT MILES TO TWO GERMAN BE SITE OF SUBMARINES MAJOR WWII pg. 3 REENACTMENTS FORT MILES: FORT MILES LEGACY FROM ADDED TO THE PAST & THE NATIONAL A PLAN FOR REGISTRY OF THE FUTURE HISTORIC pg. 5 PLACES “...To Protect And Preserve...” 1 FMHA DEC, 2004 CONTENTS FMHA BOARD OF MISSION STATEMENT OF THE FORT MILES DIRECTORS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION .....................................................................2 Dr. Gary Wray FORT MILES & TWO GERMAN SUBMARINES: President THE STORY OF U-853 & U-858 By Dr. Gary Wray, President FMHA ..........................................................3 Ted George Secretary FORT MILES: LEGACY FROM THE PAST & A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE Steve Hyle By Lee Jennings, DNREC ..........................................................................5 Treasurer CREATING THE U-858 DIORAMA David Main HISTORY IN GLUE AND PLASTIC Co-Founder By Ted George, FMHA Secretary ...............................................................8 Bob Fredrick THE FOUNDING OF THE FMHA Co-Founder By David Main, Co-Founder FMHA ............................................................9 Joe Johnson MY FONDEST MEMORIES OF FORT MILES Member THE 2004 TOUR SEASON By Nate Davidson, Americorps ...............................................................10 Frances Richmann Member FINDING WHAT DOESN’T EXIST PLOTTING THE LOST BUILDINGS OF MILES Cover Photo by By Mike Rogers, DNREC ..........................................................................12 Mike Rogers Revision 001 - January 2005 MEMBERSHIP BECOME A MEMBER OF THE FORT MILES HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP IS ONLY $10.00! YOU CAN BECOME A PART OF THE RESTORATION PROJECT OF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST POWERFUL SEACOAST FORTIFICATIONS.
    [Show full text]