Cape Henlopen is the southern cape of the

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltw ...

along the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It lies in the state of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, near the town of

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

, where the Delaware Bay meets the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. Off the coast on the bay side are two

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

s, called the Harbor of Refuge Light and the Delaware Breakwater East End Light.

Early history

Cape Henlopen, originally spelled Cape Hinlopen (after its namesake Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen who was a prominent Dutch trader), was New Netherland's southernmost border on the

37th parallel north Following are circles of latitude between the 35th parallel north and the 40th parallel north: 36th parallel north The 36th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 36 degree (angle), degrees true north, north of the Earth, Earth's equator ...

. In 1620, Thijmen Jacobsz Hinlopen became the business partner of Cornelis Jacobsen Mey in the now washed out Cape Cornelius and the incorrectly spelled Cape May with the ships Blijde Boodschap (English: "Good News") and Bever both of which focused on exploration and trade with the Indians on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

(then Zuidt Rivier). The area between the 38th and 40th parallels (i.e., the Delaware Bay area) as well as the Delaware River from north to south had previously been surveyed and charted by Cornelis Hendricksz from Monnikendam on the ship "Onrust" in 1614, 1615 and 1616. From August until November 1616, the New Netherland Company, which had an exclusive trading patent for the

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

territory between 40° and 45° latitude, had tried unsuccessfully to obtain an exclusive patent from the States General of the Dutch Republic for the territory between 38° and 40° latitude. Cornelis Jacobsz Mey was also unable to trade in the South River (Delaware River) at the exclusion of competing Dutch companies. Those Dutch companies came in conflict with one another but were eventually able to reach agreement in New Netherland. Discord arose again which was settled, finally, by a judgment of arbitrators at Amsterdam on December 23, 1623. The 38th and 39th parallels region came under the final jurisdiction of the Dutch West India Company on behalf of the States General with the delivery of the first settlers to

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk ...

in 1624. Those settlers were subsequently spread out onto Verhulsten Island (Burlington Island) in the Delaware, at

Fort Orange Fort Orange () was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city and state capital Albany, New York developed near this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on n ...

(now Albany) in the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

and at the mouth of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

in order to finalize the claim to New Netherland as a North American province according to the

Hugo Grotius Hugo Grotius ( ; 10 April 1583 – 28 August 1645), also known as Hugo de Groot () or Huig de Groot (), was a Dutch humanist, diplomat, lawyer, theologian, jurist, statesman, poet and playwright. A teenage prodigy, he was born in Delft an ...

Law of Nations (? year). In 1782 during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the young

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Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Joshua Barney fought with a British squadron at Cape May and

. Barney's force of three sloops defeated a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

, a sloop-of-war and a Loyalist

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

. The battle ended with the loss of two British vessels and one American sloop.

State Park

Cape Henlopen State Park is a 5,193 acre (21 km²) Delaware state park on Cape Henlopen.

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

made the beaches of Cape Henlopen one of the first

public land In all modern states, a portion of land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land, state land, or Crown land (Commonwealth realms). The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countries. ...

s established in what has become the United States in 1682 with the declaration that Cape Henlopen would be for "the usage of the citizens of Lewes and Sussex County." Cape Henlopen State Park has a 24-hour and year-round fishing pier as well as campgrounds. The remainder of the park is only open from sunrise to sunset, and includes a bathhouse on the

, an area for surf-fishing, a disc golf course, and bicycle lanes, walking paths, and a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

-era watchtower which is open to the public. The beach at Herring Point is also a popular surfing spot. Camp Henlopen serves as the Eastern terminus for the American Discovery Trail, the only coast to coast hiking trail in the United States.

Timeline of Cape Henlopen

* 1682 William Penn designates the area as public land. * 1767-9 Construction of the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse completed at the ''Great Dune'' – the sixth lighthouse on American soil. This construction was funded by the merchants of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. * 1777 the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse was gutted by fire. * 1784 the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse was repaired and returned to active duty. * 1789 Pennsylvania cedes the lighthouse, associated land, and jurisdiction to the United States. * 1824 The ''Cape Henlopen Beacon'' was constructed on a 45-foot (14 m) tower about a mile (1.6 km) north of the ''Cape Henlopen Lighthouse''. * 1855 Construction of the ''Delaware Breakwater East End

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

'' completed. * 1869 Construction of the ''Delaware Breakwater West End Lighthouse'' and stone breakwater barrier completed. * 1885 The steel ''Strickland Lighthouse'' replaces the lighthouse on the inner breakwater. * 1901 Construction of the 8,000 foot (2.4 km) long outer stone breakwater barrier completed. * 1903 The ''Strickland Lighthouse'' is retired from service. * c. 1915 to 1920 Radio Compass Station built * 1918 6-inch gun platform built (World War I era)Archives Search Report Findings, Fort Miles Military Reservation (Final), May 1997, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Appendix E-1 * 1920 Cape Henlopen Lighthouse badly damaged by a storm. * 1924 Cape Henlopen Lighthouse abandoned – lens removed. * 1926 (April 13) Cape Henlopen Lighthouse collapsed due to movement of ''Great Dune''. * 1941 U.S. Army established Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen. * 1950 The Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse demolished and the East End Lighthouse was automated. * 1964 The U.S. Department of Defense declared as surplus property and the State of Delaware established ''Cape Henlopen State Park''. * 1966 The was renamed MV ''Cape Henlopen'' and converted to a passenger and auto ferry. * 1978 The ''Fenwick Lighthouse'' is decommissioned. * Gordon's Pond Wildlife Area established. * 1982 The State of Delaware assumed ownership of the Fenwick lighthouse and it was electrified and returned to operation. * 1997 The State of Delaware purchased the East End lighthouse and placed it on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. * 2007 The two groins of Herring Point originally built in 1950 are cleaned up and rebuilt. National Harbor of Refuge, outer breakwater off Cape Henlopen. All metal, built in 1926 and automated in 1973. Maintained by US Coast Guard. Visible from Cape May-Lewes Ferry.

References

External links

delawareonline.comoutdoorplaces.comVideo of Henlopen PointPhotograph - Sailing in The BayPhotograph - Sunset at Henlopen State Park 3Photograph - SandbarsPhotograph - Windy Beach

RedKnot.org
links to shorebird recovery sites, movies, events & other info on Red Knot rufa & horseshoe crabs.
Palrb.us
Pennsylvania statute ceding lighthouse, land and jurisdiction to the United States {{Coord, 38.771484, -75.095501, type:landmark, display=title Henlopen Landforms of Sussex County, Delaware Delaware Bay de:Cape Henlopen State Park

Early history

State Park

Timeline of Cape Henlopen

See also

References

External links