Wetland Ways

Port Penn has long been shaped by its wetland landscape, where seasonal rhythms guided community life through autumn waterfowl hunting, winter muskrat trapping, spring shad runs, and summer sturgeon fishing, and local families depended on the river and marsh habitats for three centuries. That kinship with the environment was embodied by Bob Beck, whose family lived on the marsh after his great grandfather bought their land in 1863 and who, as a third-generation Port Penn resident, understood and cherished the marshland way of life. Living among the wildlife he loved, he worked to protect it while preserving local customs, sharing his knowledge with fellow citizens and promoting projects including a film on sturgeon fishing techniques, the construction of a shad skiff replica, and the preservation of a floating fishing cabin and muskrat skinning shack. Through more than 30 years with the Division of Fish and Wildlife, he taught hunters, farmers, and landowners across the state about balancing wildlife protection and sportsmanship, with conservation interests that included the Atlantic Sturgeon, once a valuable commercial fish for Port Penn. His appreciation for tradition also inspired events such as the Annual Marshland Dinner in spring, when baked shad and snapper soup were seasonally prized. With community support and his curatorship, a former schoolhouse later used as a bait and tackle shop became the Port Penn Interpretive Center, assembling and preserving the area's rich heritage. Through his faithful stewardship, Bob Beck left a legacy of conservation that sustains the folkways of the Port Penn community.

Delaware · United States