Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Durham boat — named because the design was used to transport iron from Durham Ironworks in Bucks County to Philadelphia — is known as being the model of boat George Washington used to cross the Delaware with his Patriot troops on Christmas in 1776.
“The moment Washington decided to use these boats to cross the Delaware and storm Trenton changed the tide of the [Revolutionary] War,” said David Dormond, who is the director of the Seaport Boat Shop Independence Seaport Museum (ISM). “It was one of the pivotal points for the U.S. in gaining our freedom.”
Dormond and his team have built a full-scale replica of the Durham boat to be displayed in Washington Crossing Historic Park. Authenticity was at the forefront of its construction, with Dormond committed to making the boat as historically accurate as possible.
The wood for the replica was sourced locally, including cedar from Medford, NJ, and white oak for the framing from Reading.
“The reason we do that is to keep things just the same as they would’ve been in the 1700s,” Dormond said. “When they were building these boats, they weren’t bringing lumber in from across the country, they were using what they had available to them, so we follow in that tradition.”
Nearly every part of the boat was handmade by Dormond and his team, down to the bolts holding the wood together.
This boat, now on display in Washington Crossing Park, isn’t just for viewing. Visitors will be able to board the ship and see how grand it was in height and length, but also how cramped the 8-feet wide interior was for the 2,400 soldiers that crossed the Delaware.
Read more about the building of this boat, inquirer.com/arts/george-washington-crossing-durham-boat-replica-seaport-museum-20260702.html
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The Durham boat — named because the design was used to transport iron from Durham Ironworks in Bucks County to Philadelphia — is known as being the model of boat George Washington used to cross the Delaware with his Patriot troops on Christmas in 1776.
“The moment Washington decided to use these boats to cross the Delaware and storm Trenton changed the tide of the [Revolutionary] War,” said David Dormond, who is the director of the Seaport Boat Shop Independence Seaport Museum (ISM). “It was one of the pivotal points for the U.S. in gaining our freedom.”
Dormond and his team have built a full-scale replica of the Durham boat to be displayed in Washington Crossing Historic Park. Authenticity was at the forefront of its construction, with Dormond committed to making the boat as historically accurate as possible.
The wood for the replica was sourced locally, including cedar from Medford, NJ, and white oak for the framing from Reading.
“The reason we do that is to keep things just the same as they would’ve been in the 1700s,” Dormond said. “When they were building these boats, they weren’t bringing lumber in from across the country, they were using what they had available to them, so we follow in that tradition.”
Nearly every part of the boat was handmade by Dormond and his team, down to the bolts holding the wood together.
This boat, now on display in Washington Crossing Park, isn’t just for viewing. Visitors will be able to board the ship and see how grand it was in height and length, but also how cramped the 8-feet wide interior was for the 2,400 soldiers that crossed the Delaware.
Read more about the building of this boat, inquirer.com/arts/george-washington-crossing-durham-boat-replica-seaport-museum-20260702.html
If you value this work, please consider subscribing to the Philadelphia Inquirer ►► inquirer.com/youtube
More from Philadelphia Inquirer Video:
Watch all of our videos here: inquirer.com/video
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philadelphia...
Instagram: instagram.com/phillyinquirer
