Will Delaware Get a National Park?

D O V E R, Del., March 21 -- Despite a state slogan that boasts "It'sGood to be First," Delaware ranks dead last when it comes to theNational Park Service.

Delaware is the only state in the country that does not have anational park, national monument, national historic site or anyother unit of the National Park Service. That distinction mightcome as a surprise to travelers in the mid-Atlantic region who haveflocked to the state's beautiful beaches, parks and historic sitesfor generations.

U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper believes it's time the First State joinsthe rest of the nation.

"I've pretty much concluded that this is a road that we want togo down," said Carper, D-Del. "But I've not concluded to whatdestination."

Carper's staff conducted a Web-based survey and held a series ofworkshops across the state last fall to gauge interest in joiningthe national park system and to receive suggestions about whatDelaware has to offer.

Dolphins and Cobblestoned Streets

The suggestions include an underwater marine park off CapeHenlopen, where a popular state park known for its frequentdolphin-sightings already exists; Fort Delaware on Pea PatchIsland; the 353-year-old cobblestoned town of New Castle; and ahistoric site related to Caesar Rodney, one of the signers of theDeclaration of Independence.

At a workshop in Dover, Bonnie Johnson of the Dover HistoricalSociety proposed that The Green, a tiny downtown square laid out byWilliam Penn and lined with historic buildings and governmentoffices, would be a good addition to the national park system.

The Green was where Rodney, the Revolutionary War patriot, beganhis famous ride to Philadelphia to cast Delaware's vote forindependence in 1776. It was also the site of the long-gone GoldenFleece Tavern, where colonists gathered for the historic vote bywhich Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution.