Wilmington City Map Poster

About Wilmington

Wilmington is built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. The area was inhabited by Lenape Native Americans. In 1638, after several false starts in earlier attempts to settle the Delmarva Peninsula by Swedes, Finns and Dutch, they established a fort at present-day Wilmington and named it "Christina" after Queen Christina of Sweden. The settlement was also called "New Gothenburg", after Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (who had been born in Stockholm). It remained a small trading post until 1651 when Johan Printz (1610–1670) bought land around New Gothenburg from the local Indians for goods worth 61 guilders; this included New Amstel which he renamed as Fort Altena or Fort Altena on Tinicum Island near modern Philadelphia.