FMHA’s Museum Happenings is published monthly and more frequently as needed to keep you up to date on events at Fort Miles Museum.
BATTERY 519 TOURS AND MUSEUM HOURS
This month, indoor tours of Battery 519 are offered:
11 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays
Note: Battery 519 opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. each Friday and Saturday. For those who do not wish to join a guided tour, access to the free Oil Still Bleeds exhibit is available as is limited access to museum exhibits.
Oil Still Bleeds will close on March 4, 2023.
Reservations are recommended for all tours conducted by Delaware State Parks. Visit destateparks.com/programs and click on Fort Miles Historical Area under Choose A Park. For “day of” reservations only: 302-644-5007.
MORE FORT MILES-RELATED PROGRAMS FOR FEBRUARY
Reservations are recommended for the programs and tours below. Reservations can be made at destateparks.com/programs. For “day of” reservations only or other information: 302-644-5007.
FORT MILES LANTERN TOUR
5:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11
Tour Battery 519 by lantern light as your state parks guide reveals U-Boats on the prowl, sailors in distress and insights into a soldier’s life at Fort Miles during World War II. Tours meet at the Fort Miles Orientation Building. For ages 10 and up with a paying adult. $6 per person.
SEASIDE HISTORY HIKE
11 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15
A park historian leads a walk across a sandy trail toward Delaware Bay. See World War II relics, uncover the Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station and hear tales of pirates. Tours meet at Seaside Nature Center. Wear walking shoes and dress for the weather. For ages 7 and older with an adult. Limit 15. $5 per person.
LAST CHANCE: OIL STILL BLEEDS EXHIBIT TO END MAR. 4
Oil Still Bleeds, a tribute to Delaware’s forgotten servicemen who were at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, will close at the end of February. The free exhibit is designed around a 650-pound relic from the battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk during the attack and still bleeds oil to the lagoon surface. The exhibit includes two interactive touch screens to educate visitors about the Pearl Harbor attack and the sinking of the Arizona.
This exhibit and the 16-inch artillery barrel outside the main entrance represent the bookends of WWII. Oil Still Bleeds represents the beginning of the war. The surrender ceremony ending the war took place under the 16-inch barrel on board the USS Missouri. This is one of the few sites where visitors can visualize the beginning and end of World War II.
In February, Oil Still Bleeds will be open for viewing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The free exhibit will close Mar. 4.