Exploring the Cape’s Roots

In 1964, the military deemed 543 acres of land at Cape Henlopen surplus, giving it to the State of Delaware to use as a public, recreational park. Following this transfer of land, Cape Henlopen State Park was officially dedicated on October 17, 1964.

Shortly after President Joseph R. “Joe” Biden Jr. was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, he took on the monumental task of directing the military to return the remaining land of Fort Miles to the people of the State of Delaware. Following in the footsteps of Senator J. Caleb Boggs, Biden’s predecessor, Biden worked to ease restrictions on the land that had already been given to the state, allowing the public to have full recreational use of the park.

Throughout his first two decades in office, Biden worked persistently with the military to return multiple parcels of land to Cape Henlopen State Park. The last parcel of land, often referred to as the “crown jewel,” was ceded by the U.S. Navy in 1996, resulting in a total of about 1,350 acres of public land restored to the park due to Biden’s efforts.

This final parcel of land included the Naval Reserve Training Facility. Rededicated the Biden Environmental Training Center in 1998, this new name honored Biden’s role in reclaiming the park’s land for the public. Continuing Biden’s legacy of preservation and the site’s history as a place for training, the Biden Environmental Center currently serves as a hub for environmental education and learning.