The survival of Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, which played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War and our nation’s founding, is now being threatened by climate change, writes Sophia Schmidt for WHYY.

The military installation on the Delaware River was one of the local strongholds during the Revolutionary War.

“Fort Mifflin was instrumental in forcing the war to go on and allowing Washington the time that he needed to achieve his victory,” said Fort Mifflin executive director Beth Beatty.

Now, the fort is fighting another battle. The rise in sea levels has impacted the tidal Delaware River, rising it by over a foot since 1900. In addition, extreme rains are becoming more common throughout the region. Fort Mifflin is now in danger of being swamped by the tides.

In January, during an intense rain storm accompanied by extreme winds, water flooded over the sea wall surrounding Fort Mifflin and wind tore off part of its reproduction metal roof.

“Not to be overly dramatic, but I think the water situation is the single greatest threat to the existence of Fort Mifflin and any historic site that sits in a complex location like this,” added Beatty.

To help mitigate the threat, Beatty is working on modernizing the century-old tide gate in the moat and considering other solutions.

Read more about Fort Mifflin in WHYY.

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