Delaware's oldest public lands date back to 1682 when, upon his arrival as proprietor of the colony,
William Penn instructed his deputies to set aside land that is now
Cape Henlopen State Park and its natural resources to be held in trust for the common good of all the citizens. The earliest attempts at legislating protection of a formalized public parks system were the result of efforts by conservationist
William Poole Bancroft, who recognized the beauty of northern Delaware and in the late 19th century became determined to see it preserved for the benefit of future generations. Bancroft also donated many acres of his own land to form public parks as well as created a trust to manage and acquire land for the development of parks after his death. Several of the state parks in northern Delaware were at one time either partially or wholly owned by estates belonging to members of the
Du Pont family that were acquired by the state after the deaths of family members. Several other state parks throughout Delaware were converted from former military installations that were determined to be surplus property. Three of northern Delaware's state parks (
Alapocas Run,
Brandywine Creek, and
Wilmington) exist to protect pieces of the historic
Brandywine River, which was once heavily utilized by local industry. Four of southern Delaware's state parks (
Cape Henlopen,
Delaware Seashore,
Fenwick Island, and
Holts Landing) preserve stretches of ocean and bay beaches, which are very popular in summer months. ==State parks==