Holts Landing State Park
Encyclopedia
Holts Landing State Park is a 203 acres (82.2 ha) Delaware state park northwest of Bethany Beach
, Sussex County
, Delaware
in the United States
. Prior to becoming a state park the land of Holts Landing State Park was the Holt family farm
. The Holts sold the land to the state of Delaware in 1957 and Holts Landing State Park was opened to the public in 1965. The park is on the southern shore of Indian River Bay
. Holts Landing State Park is open for year round recreation and features the only pier
on the east coast of Delaware that has been purpose built for crabbing, the recreational harvesting of blue crabs.
history of what is now southeastern Delaware. Native peoples
took advantage of the abundant seafood
that was harvested in the shallow waters of the inland bays. They also hunted wildlife in the surrounding marsh
es and forest
s.
The arrival of colonists from Europe
signalled the end of the way of life that the Native Americans had known. They were driven out by war and disease and were displaced by men who began farming the land on the southern coast of Indian River Bay. These colonists continued the practice of harvesting seafood from the bay and expanded their farming operations slowly over the years. The Holt family operated a small family farm and boat landing for many years before selling their property to the state in 1957. Holts Landing State Park was opened for public use in 1965.
. The crabbing pier on the Indian River Bay was constructed in 2001 to provide visitors with easy access to the abundant blue crabs of the park. Visitors lower a baited basket into the waters of the bay and wait for the crabs to take the bait before pulling them out of the water. The pier is also open to fishing
.
Visitors to the park may take advantage of the picnic facilities at Holts Landing State Park. The picnic
tables are located in shady sections of the park. There are nearby charcoal grills and a large lawn for the spreading of picnic blankets. A large pavilion
is available to rent for family reunions, church gatherings and company picnics. Holts Landing State Park also features a playground
, horseshoes
pit, nature trails, horse trails, and a boat ramp.
The boat ramp provides access to Indian River Bay which is popular with fishermen and recreation boaters. The common game fish in the bay are sea trout, flounder
, bluefish
and perch
. Clam
s are also harvested in the shallow waters of the bay.
Assawoman Canal is part of Holts Landing State Park. This canal
connects Indian River Bat with Little Assawoman Bay
to the south. It was initially dug by hand in the 1890s by immigrant labor. The canal was last dredge
d in the 1950s. It is no longer deep enough to handle the boat traffic that once passed through it when it was part of the Intercoastal Waterway. A privately owned marina
is located within the park at the northern end of the canal. Most of the rest of the canal is too shallow and narrow for recreational motorboats to safely navigate. It has become a haven for recreational kayak
ers.
s, egret
s and ibis
es. Hawk
s and osprey
s are the most often seen birds of prey at the park. The forests are populated with songbird
s, White-tailed deer
, raccoon
s, fox
es, muskrat
s, and opossums. The animals have adapted to the changes of man by making homes in the pits that were dug by the highway department for road constructions. These pits have since filled with water creating several small pond
s. The Assawoman Canal also provides a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Possible development along the canal has drawn the attention of the Sierra Club
.
Bethany Beach, Delaware
Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationers...
, Sussex County
Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Prior to becoming a state park the land of Holts Landing State Park was the Holt family farm
Family farm
A family farm is a farm owned and operated by a family, and often passed down from generation to generation. It is the basic unit of the mostly agricultural economy of much of human history and continues to be so in developing nations...
. The Holts sold the land to the state of Delaware in 1957 and Holts Landing State Park was opened to the public in 1965. The park is on the southern shore of Indian River Bay
Indian River Bay
Indian River Bay is a body of water in Sussex County, Delaware. It is part of Delaware's inland bay system, along with Little Assawoman Bay and Rehoboth Bay...
. Holts Landing State Park is open for year round recreation and features the only pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
on the east coast of Delaware that has been purpose built for crabbing, the recreational harvesting of blue crabs.
History
Holts Landing State Park, on Indian River Bay, has long been a center of crabbing, fishing, hunting, and farming dating back to the Pre-ColumbianPre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
history of what is now southeastern Delaware. Native peoples
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
took advantage of the abundant seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
that was harvested in the shallow waters of the inland bays. They also hunted wildlife in the surrounding marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es and forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s.
The arrival of colonists from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
signalled the end of the way of life that the Native Americans had known. They were driven out by war and disease and were displaced by men who began farming the land on the southern coast of Indian River Bay. These colonists continued the practice of harvesting seafood from the bay and expanded their farming operations slowly over the years. The Holt family operated a small family farm and boat landing for many years before selling their property to the state in 1957. Holts Landing State Park was opened for public use in 1965.
Recreation
The recreational facilities at Holts Landing State Park are open daily from 8:00 am until sunsetSunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
. The crabbing pier on the Indian River Bay was constructed in 2001 to provide visitors with easy access to the abundant blue crabs of the park. Visitors lower a baited basket into the waters of the bay and wait for the crabs to take the bait before pulling them out of the water. The pier is also open to fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
Visitors to the park may take advantage of the picnic facilities at Holts Landing State Park. The picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
tables are located in shady sections of the park. There are nearby charcoal grills and a large lawn for the spreading of picnic blankets. A large pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
is available to rent for family reunions, church gatherings and company picnics. Holts Landing State Park also features a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
, horseshoes
Horseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
pit, nature trails, horse trails, and a boat ramp.
The boat ramp provides access to Indian River Bay which is popular with fishermen and recreation boaters. The common game fish in the bay are sea trout, flounder
Flounder
The flounder is an ocean-dwelling flatfish species that is found in coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-Taxonomy:There are a number of geographical and taxonomical species to which flounder belong.*Western Atlantic...
, bluefish
Bluefish
The bluefish , called tailor in Australia, is a species of popular marine gamefish found in all climates. It is the sole species of the Pomatomidae family....
and perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
. Clam
Clam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
s are also harvested in the shallow waters of the bay.
Assawoman Canal is part of Holts Landing State Park. This canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
connects Indian River Bat with Little Assawoman Bay
Little Assawoman Bay
Little Assawoman Bay is a body of water in Sussex County, Delaware. It is separated from Assawoman Bay....
to the south. It was initially dug by hand in the 1890s by immigrant labor. The canal was last dredge
Dredge
Dredging is an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location...
d in the 1950s. It is no longer deep enough to handle the boat traffic that once passed through it when it was part of the Intercoastal Waterway. A privately owned marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
is located within the park at the northern end of the canal. Most of the rest of the canal is too shallow and narrow for recreational motorboats to safely navigate. It has become a haven for recreational kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ers.
Wildlife
Holts Landing State Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Commonly seen wading birds include, heronHeron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s, egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s and ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
es. Hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s and osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
s are the most often seen birds of prey at the park. The forests are populated with songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s, White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
s, and opossums. The animals have adapted to the changes of man by making homes in the pits that were dug by the highway department for road constructions. These pits have since filled with water creating several small pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s. The Assawoman Canal also provides a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Possible development along the canal has drawn the attention of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48.3 km) of Holts Landing State Park:- Assateague State ParkAssateague State ParkAssateague State Park is a public beach and state park of Maryland that lies at the northern end of Assateague Island. Reachable via Route 611, across Sinepuxent Bay via the Verrazano Bridge , Assateague State Park offers beaches and campsites to the public for a fee...
(MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
) - Cape Henlopen State ParkCape Henlopen State ParkCape Henlopen State Park is a Delaware state park on on Cape Henlopen in Sussex County, Delaware, in the United States. William Penn made the beaches of Cape Henlopen one of the first public lands established in what has become the United States in 1682 with the declaration that Cape Henlopen...
(Sussex County) - Cape May Point State ParkCape May Point State ParkCape May Point State Park is a 235 acre state park located in Cape May Point, New Jersey. It has walking, hiking and nature trails as well as beaches, an exhibit gallery, a ranger office and is the site of the Cape May Light...
(New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) - Delaware Seashore State ParkDelaware Seashore State ParkDelaware Seashore State Park is located near Dewey Beach, in Delaware, United States. It is bounded on the east by the mighty Atlantic Ocean and on the west by Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay. The park covers . It is a major attraction for millions of visitors who enjoy the large variety of...
(Sussex County) - Fenwick Island State ParkFenwick Island State ParkFenwick Island State Park is a Delaware state park between Ocean City, Maryland and Bethany Beach, Delaware in Sussex County, Delaware in the United States. Originally part of Delaware Seashore State Park, it was established in 1966 and renamed in 1981...
(Sussex County) - Killens Pond State ParkKillens Pond State ParkKillens Pond State Park is a Delaware state park located south of the town of Felton in Kent County, Delaware in the United States. The park surrounds a pond known as Killens Pond located along the Murderkill River. Amenities available include boating, fishing, hiking, playgrounds, and picnic areas...
(Kent CountyKent County, DelawareKent County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is coextensive with the Dover, Delaware, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population was 162,310, a 28.1% increase over the previous decade. The county seat is Dover, the state capital...
) - Trap Pond State ParkTrap Pond State ParkTrap Pond State Park is a 2,109 acre Delaware state park located near Laurel, Delaware. It is one of the largest surviving fragments of what was once an extensive wetland in what is now southwestern Sussex County...
(Sussex County)