From Boats to Bridges: Crossing the Delaware River

Suitable for Schools · Grades 9–12

Today, most folks cross the Delaware River via a bridge for business or sun tans. But for over 10 thousand years, human beings crossed the Delaware in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons: some for freedom, others to determine the future of a nation. This lecture journeys back in time to examine the reasons and means of crossing the Delaware including dugout canoes, ferries, bridges, and cables carrying electricity to power millions of homes. We’ll examine crossings from the earliest Lenni Lenape people to the first European colonists who crossed the river to attend church. We’ll review George Washington crossing to battle the British army, and self-emancipators seeking freedom from the ugly yoke of slavery. Finally, we’ll enter the 20th century: the widespread use of motor vehicles and the desire to travel from place to place as quickly and easily as possible, starting with ferry boats and moving to massive twin-span bridges constructed from steel and thousands of tons of concrete.