Floated Across The River

As operations at Fort Dupont expanded, the need for additional housing grew, and surplus housing from nearby Fort Mott, New Jersey, which was in caretaker status, was used to meet it. In December 1931, the 1st Engineers rolled Building #81 onto a barge and floated it across the Delaware River, through the Branch Canal, to its new location on Officers Row at Fort DuPont. The effort succeeded, and in December 1932 four additional structures were floated across the river, completing Officers Row. Except for barges and a tugboat, all of the work was done by the 1st Engineer Regiment using only military equipment. Weighing 240 tons, Building #81 was the first structure floated across the river from Fort Mott to Fort DuPont in a plan to quickly meet housing needs, and it still stands mid-way on the north side of Officers Row.

Delaware City, Delaware · United States