Marshland Resources in the Delaware Estuary 1830 to 1950 +/-: An Historic Context

Fisher, Caroline; Elterich, Allison; Herman, Bernard; Siders, Rebecca

The Marshland Historic Context was developed in response to concerns for the historic resources associated with the Delaware river and its marshes. The physical resources of fishing, trapping, waterfowling, and other traditional activities are quickly disappearing from the historical record. The goal of this project was to record some of these traditions and the property types that support them and identify other areas in need of research. This context was a natural growth from the priorities established in the Delaware Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan. The State Historic Preservation Office and the Grant Selection Committee of the State Review Board for Historic Preservation affirmed the need for such a context by making the development of an historic context concerning maritime cultural resources a high priority under the Historic Preservation Fund subgrant program for FY 92. The Marshland Historic Context represents only part of that prior~y; a second phase, focusing on ship and boat building, will be undertaken in FY 93. In Fiscal Year 1992, the Center for Historic Architecture and Engineering received a matching funds grant from the Historic Preservation Fund to develop an historic context investigating the marshland historic resources associated with the Delaware River and its marshes. The project was conducted for the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, and the grant was administered by the National Parks Service, Department of the Interior. The historic context was developed in accordance with the planning process described in the Delaware Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan and the Historic Context Master Reference and Summary; as well as the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation. All activities relating to the development of this context have been carried out in consultation with the staff of the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Principal investigators for this project were Bernard L. Herman, Associate Director of the Center, and Rebecca J. Siders, Research Associate. Much of the research, writing, and field work was carried out by two graduate research assistants, Caroline Rsher and Allison Elterich. An advisory committee of preservation professionals, interested citizens, and people associated with the various types of marshland resources. The authors are grateful for their valuable suggestions and contributions to the context. We would also like to extend our thanks to the many members of the Port Penn, Leipsic, and Little Creek communities who provided oral histories that illuminated many of the gaps in the documentary research. Particular thanks go to Bob Beck, of Port Penn.