Cape Henlopen State Park bathhouse under construction

Cape Henlopen State Park has been in the news recently, as state officials consider allowing a restaurant to be built at the park’s main parking lot north of the Sen. David McBride Beach Bathhouse. This photograph shows construction of the bathhouse as it nears completion in the late 1970s. Cape Henlopen State Park opened for public use in 1964 and has become the state’s most visited and most popular park, welcoming more than 1.2 million people per year. At 5,193 acres, Cape Henlopen State Park is large enough to boast several distinct areas, from the Point to Fort Miles to the fishing pier to Gordons Pond. The park has become the crown jewel of Delaware’s state parks system.