| Wilmington State Parks | |
|---|---|
 Brandywine Creek in Brandywine Park near downtown Wilmington looking downstream. | |
  Location of the Wilmington State Parks in Delaware | |
| Location | New Castle, Delaware, United States |
| Coordinates | 39°45′18″N 75°33′0″W / 39.75500°N 75.55000°W |
| Elevation | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Established | 1998 |
| Named for | Wilmington, Delaware |
| Governing body | Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control |
| Website | Wilmington State Parks |
Wilmington State Parks is a state park located in Wilmington, Delaware. Open year-round, the park is approximately 345 acres (140 ha)[1] of land mostly situated along the Brandywine Creek. The state park is made up of a group of smaller parks that are administratively managed as a single unit.
Although much of the land comprising Wilmington State Parks is owned by the city of Wilmington, the park is operated and maintained by the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation, a branch of the state's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The state park was created in 1998 when the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation assumed management responsibilities,[2] though the individual parks are much older, with the oldest dating back to 1886.
There are numerous statues, monuments, and memorials in Wilmington State Parks, including war memorials as well as statues and memorials to historically significant Wilmingtonians such as Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, U.S. Secretary of State Thomas F. Bayard, conservationist William Poole Bancroft, and shipbuilder William H. Todd. There is also a memorial to President William McKinley and a memorial bridge dedicated to George Washington near a parade ground where the general reviewed his troops during the Revolutionary War.[3][4][5]
Admission to the parks is free, with the exception of admittance to the zoo.
- ^ Coxe, Robert. "Historical Analysis and Map of Vegetation Communities, Land Covers, and Habitats of Wilmington State Park New Castle County, Delaware" (PDF). University of Delaware. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Delaware State Parks: Highlights of History". Archived from the original on November 5, 2003. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ "Brandywine Park". National Park Service. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ Norton, Joan. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Brandywine Park and Kentmere Parkway" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "History of the Brandywine Zoo". Brandywine Zoo. Retrieved November 20, 2015.