Delaware River · PA
Marcus Hook
A Swedish trading post turned refinery town.
- Population
- 2,454 (2020 census)
- Trading post
- 1640s
- Refinery opened
- 1901
Then
- 1640s
New Sweden sets up a trading post at the Lenape village of Chammassungh. The Dutch rename it Marrites Hoeck in 1655.
- Early 1700s
Pirates sell their plunder here, out of reach of Philadelphia's authorities, carousing on what maps call Discord Lane.
- 1901
Sun Oil opens a refinery for crude shipped from Texas, the first of a cluster that becomes the Northeast's largest fuel center.
- 2011
The refinery closes; it reopens as an industrial complex for Marcellus Shale gas.
Now
Pennsylvania's lowest point is on the river here, where it leaves the state. Bridgeport, New Jersey, sits across the water.
2 tide stations around Marcus Hook
- Marcus Hook, Pa.0.7 mi
- Bridgeport, Raccoon Creek, N.J.3.5 mi