Philadelphia hides one of its bravest stories in plain sight. On the banks of the Delaware River in Southwest Philadelphia, right beside the international airport, Fort Mifflin still stands behind its white stone walls — a National Historic Landmark proudly known as “the fort that saved America.”
The nickname was earned the hard way. In the fall of 1777, after British forces occupied Philadelphia, the fort’s small garrison endured weeks of siege and one of the heaviest bombardments of the Revolutionary War, holding the river long enough to delay the British supply fleet. The defenders finally slipped away by boat on November 15, 1777, leaving their flag flying — and buying George Washington precious time on the road to Valley Forge. Rebuilt in 1798-1800, the fort went on serving through later conflicts, and many of its buildings still stand today.
A visit today is wonderfully hands-on: walk the ramparts, peek into the casemates and powder magazine, tour the Officers’ Quarters and the old hospital, and time your trip for a guided tour or a thundering cannon demonstration. There is happy news on the preservation front, too — a major restoration has just given brand-new roofs to the Officers’ Quarters and the Hospital Building, two of its most vulnerable landmarks.
Fort Mifflin welcomes visitors Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from March through mid-December. Bring the family, enjoy the river views and the planes gliding overhead, and meet the little fort that refused to fall.
Photo: R’lyeh Imaging, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
