Delaware Breakwater Quarantine Station

1884-1926

Many of the European immigrants who came to this country at the end of the nineteenth century brought with them a variety of epidemic diseases including cholera, typhus, smallpox and bubonic plague. This posed a serious threat to urban areas ...

Quarantine Station

Lewes * Maritime History Trail

In 1880, the fear that foreigners were bringing epidemic diseases to the United States led the federal government to create the National Quarantine System. Around the country, from stations like the one that was here, doctors ...

Lazaretto Quarantine Station

A rare surviving example of a quarantine station, the Lazaretto was the introduction to America for many immigrants. Established in 1799 in reaction to a yellow fever epidemic, it operated until 1893 to inspect cargo and passengers for infectious diseases. ...