Fort Christina

Fort Christina (1638-1680s) - A Swedish Colonial Fort established in 1638 near Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. Named Fort Christina after Christina, Queen of Sweden, who was 12 years old at the time. The fort was captured and renamed Fort Altena by the Dutch in 1655. Held by the Dutch until 1665 when the English took over. Abandoned in 1680s. History Fort Christina Map During the Dutch Siege of 1655. (A) Fort Christina; (B) Christina Creek; (C) town of Christina Hamn; (D) Tennekong Land; (E) Fiske Kil (now Brandywine Creek); (F) Snake Battery, of four guns; (G) Gnat Battery, of six guns; (H) Rat Battery, of five guns; (I) Fly Battery, of four guns; (K) Timmer Öland (Timber Island); (L) kitchen; (M) position of the besiegers; (N) harbor; (O) mine; (P) reed flats; and ‘Comp’= Companies of Dutch soldiers. The site of the first permanent Swedish settlement in 1638. The colony became known as New Sweden and the fort erected was known as Fort Christina. The Swedish expedition was headed by the Dutchman Peter Minuit who had been hired by the New Sweden Company to guide the expedition from Sweden in December 1637. The expedition consisted of 50 men, in two vessels (the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip), that landed at a natural pier of rocks that jutted into the Christina River at its confluence with the South River. In 1651, the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant established Fort Casimir at present-day New Castle, only 7 miles south of Fort Christina. In 1654, the Swedes captured Fort Casimir under the orders of Governor Johan Risingh. In 1655, the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant laid siege to Fort Christina. The fort surrendered 10 days later without bloodshed. The Swedish colonial presence was ended and the fort was renamed Fort Altena by the dutch. (details of the action and surrender are given in Carson, "Dutch and Swedish Settlements on the Delaware", PaMHB:13‑15). The fort remained under New Netherlands until the English took over in 1664. Under English rule, the fort fell into disrepair and had all but disappeared by the end of the 1680s. Fort Union (1813-1814) During the War of 1812, Fort Union was constructed on the site of old Fort Christina to provide protection for Wilmington and the mills that were located there. This was a state militia fort and not a part of the Second System coastal fortifications. Current Status The site is now a part of Fort Christina State Park, with a large black granite monument which was created by Carl Milles and dedicated in 1938, as a gift from the people of Sweden to the people of the United States. A heavy concrete bulkhead extends along the river bank, covering all but a portion of the Rocks, and probably much of the fort site. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. Maps & Images Lat: 39.73712 Long: -75.53846 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 7' See Also: Fort Casimir Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 129, 132. USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 217592 Fort Christina Park Links: North American Forts - Fort Christina North American Forts - Fort Union Wikipedia - Fort Christina New Netherlands Institute - Fort Christina "Dutch and Swedish Settlements on the Delaware", PaMHB:13‑15) National Register of Historic Places - Fort Christina Nomination Form HMDB - Fort Christina National Historic Landmark marker Visited: No