Lums Pond has existed since 1735, when St. Georges Creek was dammed to power a sawmill, and after the Lum family acquired the mill after 1809, the pond took their name. About twenty years later, it supplied water to the highest lock of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and in the 1960s it was enlarged to its present 200-acre size. Peter "Pete" Geldof arrived in Delaware in 1954 and was hired by the State Park Commission as superintendent of the recently acquired Brandywine Springs State Park. His education and experience in horticulture and landscape design benefited Brandywine Springs and future state parks, and soon improvements were made to Trap Pond and Fort Delaware State Parks. Under his leadership, Lums Pond became Delaware's first state park developed as a recreational facility. In 1964, he was appointed director by the Delaware State Park Commission and served for six years, then directed the parks for five more years under what is now the Division of Parks and Recreation. He focused on acquiring new land for the park system and preserving existing parks from rapidly expanding private development. In 1971, under his guidance, the Division introduced a park entrance fee and developed other revenue services that now support over 60% of the state parks' operating budget. Among his greatest accomplishments were contributions to the creation of Cape Henlopen, Delaware Seashore, and Fenwick Island beach parks. Geldof retired from Delaware State Parks in October 1986 after 32 years of service, during which he was instrumental in protecting more than 11,000 acres of Delaware's natural resources for residents and visitors alike.