Fort Delaware Museum

The most popular men’s headwear at the time of the Revolution was the “cocked hat,” usually today called a “tricorn hat.”

Called “cocked” hats because the sides were pinned up in three places to create a triangular shape, the hat style was made popular by European gentry but by the time of the American Revolution was so popular at all levels of society as to be essentially ubiquitous. Cocked hats were standard parts of military dress for both British and American officers and enlisted men, often adorned with a cockade. Early in the war, when uniforms were rare among the Patriots, General Washington ordered that cockades be used to distinguish rank (pink for field officers, white for captains, green for lower-ranking officers). In 1780 American officers were requested to wear black and white cockades, which represented the French American alliance.

Cocked hats fell out of fashion in America in the early 19th century and nowadays the “tricorn” hat is associated with the colonial and revolutionary eras.

The image is a photo of a cocked hat in the collection of the Museum of the American Revolution (without a cockade).

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Because of the forecast for steady rain today… Saturday, May 23, Fort Delaware will NOT be opening. The Bold Gold Media Speaker Series program on “Nathaniel Sackett: The Godfather of American Intelligence” scheduled for this evening is postponed to a future date TBD.

We apologize for any inconvenience and we thank you for your understanding.

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Time begins on Opening Day! Although the saying was coined for baseball, we think it applies to Fort Delaware, too. The 2026 season begins today!

Come celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial with us. We live history!

Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History is located on the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway at 6615 Route 97 in Narrowsburg, NY. Open Saturday and Sunday 10-5. No one admitted after 4 p.m.

Also open Memorial Day Monday!