Vinyard Shipyard Preservation & Tourism

This month I will be gathering a group of professionals at the state and local levels to visit the Vinyard shipyard and discuss what potential benefits it could provide for the city of Milford. The group will include state officials from the DE Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, DE Tourism Office, Delaware Economic Development Office, and local officials from the Milford Museum, Milford Historical Society, Milford School District, Downtown Milford Inc. and Chamber of Commerce.

The early ships built in the Milford shipyards were sailing vessels, and, as power vessels took over, the Vinyard Shipyard was able to make the change, while others in the town were not. Throughout the 20s and 30s, the Vinyard shipyard built very fine yachts, and during World War II, began building sub chasers, which were known as the Splinter Fleet.

Today, the shipyard stands on the banks of the Mispillion River, surrounded by the homes that were built to house the workers who helped build Milford’s maritime history. The combination office and warehouse, which were built around 1920, were built in three sections. The two end sections were used as warehouses and work rooms, while the center section is a one-story office space. Also still standing at the shipyard are the mold/sail loft, built about 1900, and the boat house, built about 1929.

In my opinion the Vinyard Shipyard has the potential, through highlighting our historical shipbuilding roots, to promote economic development and tourism throughout Milford, provide educational opportunity for local children in the state of DE and continue to preserve the Mispillion River as it can create a complete loop of our riverwalk. This group will investigate those benefits and any other that may be manifest or latent effects of the offer. Shipbuilding was an important industry in Milford during the early 1800’s, and the evidence of that long-forgotten line of work is still evident as you walk around the town. In fact, one of the original shipyards that produced many of the ships built here in Milford still stands today, the Vinyard Shipyard on Columbia Street.