Village of Port Penn

Port Penn’s name is attributed to a visit that William Penn made to the area in 1682. Dr. David Stewart founded Port Penn in the 1760s and laid out the town in a grid pattern. A protected deep water harbor and access to an active peach and grain trade made Port Penn a successful village, and a target of the British navy during the Revolution and War of 1812. Port Penn supported a Customs House, churches, school, cannery, and other businesses. The opening of the C & D Canal and expansion of the Delaware Railroad in the mid-1800s shifted transportation and commerce away from Port Penn, leaving behind a well-preserved Delaware River village.