Camp Henlopen before establishment of Fort Miles

A few years before Fort Miles was established at today’s Cape Henlopen State Park, the U.S. military used the area for artillery practice. It was called Camp Henlopen. In this image from 1938, the 52nd Railway Artillery is set up for training. The buildings in the background appear to be fish factories, which match up with 1937 aerial imagery by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. As most know, with war looming in Europe, military officials established Fort Miles in 1941 to defend the mouth of the Delaware Bay. The fort remained in operation in some form until 1991, when it fully decommissioned.