Fort Mifflin
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Fort Mifflin
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. in United States
Fort Mifflin - Eastman.jpg
A painting of Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia by Seth Eastman commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1870
Site information
Owner City of Philadelphia
Operator United States Army Corps of Engineers
Open to
the public yes
Site history
Built 1771 - 1776
Battles/wars Siege of Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
Pennsylvania state historical marker
Fort Mifflin is located in PhiladelphiaFort Mifflin
Location Fort Mifflin Road
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates 39.8753°N 75.213°WCoordinates: 39.8753°N 75.213°W
Architect John Montresor
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Louis de Tousard
NRHP reference No. 70000554[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP August 29, 1970
Designated NHL August 29, 1970
Designated PHMC May 10, 1990[2]
Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island (or Deep Water Island) on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[nb 1] near Philadelphia International Airport.
During the American Revolutionary War, the British Army bombarded and captured the fort as part of their conquest of Philadelphia in autumn 1777. In 1795, the fort was renamed for Thomas Mifflin, a Continental Army officer and the first post-independence Pennsylania governor.[3]
The U.S. Army began rebuilding the fort in 1794, and continued to garrison and build on the site into the 19th century. Fort Mifflin housed prisoners during the American Civil War. The U.S. Army decommissioned Fort Mifflin for active duty infantry and artillery in 1962. However, while the older portion of the fort was returned to the City of Philadelphia, a portion of the fort's grounds are still actively used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, making it the oldest fort in use by the U.S. military. Historic preservationists have restored the fort, which has been named a National Historic Landmark.
Fort Mifflin
6400 Hog Island Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19153
(215) 685-4167
VQGP+3P Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
39.87522700019279, -75.21310656831798