Bombay Hook

The Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge located along the eastern coast of Kent County, Delaware, on Delaware Bay. It was established in 1937 as a... more

by Tom Gari Gallery-Three-Photography

Title

Bombay Hook

Artist

Tom Gari Gallery-Three-Photography

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge located along the eastern coast of Kent County, Delaware, on Delaware Bay. It was established in 1937 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory and wintering waterfowl along the Atlantic Flyway. The Refuge was purchased from local land owners with federal duck stamp funds.
Today, the refuge protects wildlife of all kinds, with emphasis on all migratory birds. The refuge also contains the Allee House, a pre-revolutionary war farmhouse on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1682, a canal was built from the town of Smyrna to the Delaware Bay; this waterway became the Smyrna River. The Bombay Hook Lighthouse was built by the US Government in 1831. The lighthouse was later automated in 1912 and an unmanned light was installed. Arsonists burned the abandoned structure in the early 1970s.
The Allee House, still standing on the refuge, was built in 1753 by Abraham Allee, a Huguenot refugee from Artois, France. It is currently on the National Register of Historic Places. The house remains in nearly original condition.
During World War II the refuge was used as a gunnery range and for research on aerial rockets.

Uploaded

July 14th, 2015