List of coastal fortifications of the United States
The United States and its preceding colonies built numerous coastal defenses to defend major cities, ports and straits from the colonial era through World War II. Some listed were built by other nations and are now on United States territory.
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United States fortification programs
Colonial period through 1885
In the American colonies and the United States, coastal forts were generally more heavily constructed than inland forts, and mounted heavier weapons comparable to those on potential attacking ships. Coastal forts built from 1794 through 1867 were generally grouped into three time periods by later historians; these were marked by significant federal fortification programs with most forts built in a particular style. Forts of the first and second systems were generally earthwork star forts with some masonry reinforcement, mounting one tier of cannon, usually on the roof of the fort or behind low earthworks. Along with new forts, a few masonry forts of the colonial period were rebuilt under the first system, which was built from 1794 through 1801.[1] The second system began construction in 1802, due to tensions with Britain and France that ultimately led to the War of 1812.[2][3] Forts of the first two systems were usually completed in two to five years, due to their simple designs. The third system, developed after Washington, D.C. was captured and burned in the War of 1812 with its second system fort bypassed, had much larger forts than the previous systems. These were built primarily of masonry, typically with two or three tiers of cannon; two forts were completed with four tiers. All but the top tier of guns were in casemates protected by masonry. These were the largest masonry forts built by the United States, with many designed by US Army engineer Joseph G. Totten assisted by French military engineer Simon Bernard. All forts built by the federal government were designed and constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers; however, some forts were built entirely with state or local resources. Until 1901 federal forts were garrisoned by various artillery units; following the Civil War most units at the forts were designated as heavy artillery batteries.[4] Although designs varied, most were bastioned polygonal forts, having a large seacoast armament with musketry loopholes and howitzer positions to defend against land attacks.[5][6][7] Work on the third system forts began in 1819. These forts took decades to build, and many were incomplete when funding was cut off in 1867, especially those begun during the American Civil War. Several forts had their designs modified during the Civil War for faster completion, but this did not always result in a functional fort by 1867. Earthworks built during the war are not included in this list. The siege of Fort Pulaski in April 1862 showed that masonry forts were vulnerable to modern rifled cannon, though the Union did not act on this until after the war. In 1867 funding for masonry forts was cut off, and work began on new batteries with earth protection, reinforced with masonry and often near previous forts. However, in 1876 funding was cut off again, with most of these batteries unfinished.[8][9][10]
Endicott program through World War I
In 1885 the Board of Fortifications, chaired by Secretary of War William C. Endicott, met to lay the groundwork for a new coast defense system. New defenses were recommended for 27 harbors and river estuaries; most of the board's recommendations were implemented in what was often called the Endicott Program. This included new rifled guns ranging from 3-inch (76 mm) to 12-inch (305 mm), most of them to be on disappearing carriages in new reinforced concrete emplacements faced with earth. The combination of earth-faced emplacements and disappearing carriages was intended to conceal the guns from an enemy; the airplane had not been invented yet.[11] 12-inch (305 mm) rifled mortars and controlled minefields were also part of the program. A number of Endicott batteries were built near (and sometimes in) previous forts. Since everything had to be designed and built from the ground up, progress was slow until the Spanish–American War of 1898 potentially threatened the U.S. east coast with bombardment by the Spanish fleet. Only a few new batteries were complete by then, and emergency batteries were hastily built and armed with Civil War-era weapons, along with some new 8-inch (203 mm) guns intended for Endicott batteries but mounted on old-style carriages, plus some smaller rapid-fire guns purchased from the United Kingdom.[12] In 1901 the artillery batteries were redesignated, with the light batteries becoming numbered artillery batteries and the heavy batteries at the forts becoming coast artillery companies, all still part of the Artillery Corps. In 1907 the coast artillery companies were split off as the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps, with the light batteries becoming the Field Artillery.[13] The Endicott forts were fully funded during and after the Spanish–American War, and were substantially complete by 1906. In 1905 the Taft Board met to decide on further improvements. The United States had acquired Hawaii and the Philippines in 1898, along with the Panama Canal Zone in 1903. The Taft Board made fire control improvements at several harbor defenses, and decided on new defenses in the three new territories as well as Los Angeles, California. Since the Japanese were building capital ships armed with 14-inch (356 mm) guns, new weapons of this caliber were developed and emplaced in the four new defenses, though not at any existing defenses. In 1917, with World War I in progress and all major powers in possession of dreadnought battleships, the Army decided on a new type of battery. This would have two 12-inch (305 mm) guns in open emplacements on high-angle (35° elevation) barbette carriages to increase their range. Existing 12-inch guns were used for these batteries, eleven of which were in the continental United States (in most cases at existing forts), with two in Panama, one in Hawaii, and two one-gun batteries in the Philippines. The initial lack of protection from air attack was a significant problem with these batteries; their only concealment was camouflage and being set back from the coast, although their magazines were in bunkers. Most of these batteries were completed circa 1920.[14][15]
Between the wars
Following World War I, the Army attempted further improvements, but in the peacetime funding climate little could be done. A new 16-inch (406 mm) gun was adopted, on a new barbette carriage with 65° elevation to allow plunging fire. However, with funding limited only eleven weapons of this caliber could be deployed by 1927; one on a disappearing carriage, four 16-inch howitzers, and the remainder in batteries similar to the 12-inch weapons, all at new forts except the disappearing weapon. The Navy provided twenty 16-inch guns intended for cancelled battleships in the 1920s; six of these were deployed in Hawaii and Panama by 1935.[16][17]
World War II
In 1938 construction began on two casemated batteries for 16-inch (406 mm) guns near San Francisco; the casemates protected the guns against air attack. After the Fall of France in 1940, the Army's Harbor Defense Board met to consider the future of coast defenses. The board decided to replace the turn-of-the-century defenses with new casemated 16-inch gun batteries with two guns each, typically one or two batteries per harbor defense command; most previous 16-inch batteries were also to be casemated. Due to their range advantage over previous weapons, most 16-inch batteries were at new forts, usually called "military reservations" to conceal their purpose. The long-range 12-inch batteries were retained and casemated, with a few built new. Due to circumstances requiring development of a new 16-inch gun for new battleships, the Navy released about 50 additional 1920s 16-inch guns. The 16-inch batteries would be complemented by 6-inch (152 mm) guns on new high-angle shielded barbette mounts with magazine bunkers, and new 90 mm (3.5-inch) dual-purpose gun batteries. Due to the diminishing threat of enemy surface attack as World War II progressed, especially on the east coast, of 38 16-inch batteries proposed only 21 were completed, and not all of these were armed. As the 16-inch batteries were completed the older heavy weapons at the harbor defense commands were scrapped, though some 6-inch and 3-inch guns were retained. Following World War II essentially all remaining gun defenses were scrapped by 1948.[18][19]
List fields
- State: The state in which the fort is located.
- Name: The fort name, including prior names or names of prior forts on the site.
- Location: The town, island, or other place name the fort itself is or was located at.
- City or area defended: The port city, river estuary or delta, or other general area the fort defended. For 1895 and later forts, this is the name of the Coast Defense Command (Harbor Defense Command after 1925) the fort was part of. "The" preceding a place name means the area defended is a river estuary or delta.
- Era(s): Periods in which major defensive or armament-related construction took place at the fort.
- Colonial: Prior to 1775, or built by a country other than the US.
- Revolutionary War: 1775–1793.
- First System: 1794–1801.
- Second System: 1802–1815.
- War of 1812: 1812–1815.
- Third System: 1816–1860.
- Civil War: 1861–1867.
- 1870s: 1868–1879.
- Endicott: 1885–1904.
- Taft: 1905–1916.
- World War I: 1917–1918.
- Interwar: 1919–1939.
- World War II: 1940–1945.
- Activated: Year in which the first coastal fort on the site entered service, usually when completed or first garrisoned. Many forts were garrisoned but never completed.
- Deactivated as coastal fort: Year the fort was disarmed (periods of caretaker status are not noted).
- Deactivated as military post: Year the fort site was abandoned by the Armed Forces.
For new construction in World War II, locations with 6-inch guns are included only where they were the primary defenses in the area. All forts with completed 16-inch batteries are listed, but some were never armed. There were numerous other locations not listed with 155 mm, 6-inch, or 90 mm guns, some of which were called "Forts" while others were called "Military Reservations".
List of US coastal fortifications
State | Name | Location | City or area defended | Era(s) | Activated | Deactivated as coastal fort | Deactivated as military post | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Fort Charlotte/Fort Conde | Mobile | Mobile | Colonial | 1723 | 1820 | 1820 | 4/5 scale replica on site |
Alabama | Fort Gaines | Dauphin Island | Mobile | Third System, Endicott | 1821 | 1928 | 1947 | |
Alabama | Fort Morgan/Fort Bowyer | Mobile Point | Mobile | Second System, Third System, Endicott | 1814 | 1928 | 1947 | Rearmed with Panama mounts in WWII |
Alaska | Fort Schwatka | Dutch Harbor | Dutch Harbor | World War II | 1944 | 1950 | ||
Alaska | Fort Learnard | Eider Point, Unalaska | Dutch Harbor | World War II | 1944 | 1950 | ||
Alaska | Fort J. H. Smith | Chiniak | Kodiak | World War II | 1944 | 1950 | ||
Alaska | Fort Abercrombie | Miller Point, Kodiak Island | Kodiak | World War II | 1944 | 1950 | ||
Alaska | Fort Tidball | Castle Bluffs, Long Island | Kodiak | World War II | 1944 | 1950 | ||
Alaska | Fort McGilvray | Caines Head | Seward | World War II | 1943 | 1944 | 6" battery not completed | |
Alaska | Fort Bulkley | Rugged Island | Seward | World War II | 6" battery not completed | |||
Alaska | Fort Rousseau | Makhnati Island | Sitka | World War II | 1944 | 1950 | ||
Alaska | Fort Babcock | Shoals Point, Kruzof Island | Sitka | World War II | 1944 | 1950 | 6" battery not completed | |
Alaska | Fort Peirce | Biorka Island | Sitka | World War II | 6" battery not completed | |||
California | Fort Rosecrans/Fort Guijarros | San Diego | San Diego | Colonial, Endicott, Taft, World War II | 1797 | 1950 | Part of fort is now Naval Base Point Loma, part is Cabrillo National Monument | |
California | Fort Emory | San Diego | San Diego | World War II | 1943 | 1946 | Fort site is on Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, batteries demolished | |
California | Fort MacArthur | San Pedro | Los Angeles | Taft, Interwar, World War II | 1917 | 1948 | Museum on site | |
California | White Point Military Reservation | San Pedro | Los Angeles | World War II | 1943 | 1948 | Adjacent to Fort MacArthur, World War II 16-inch battery on site | |
California | Bolsa Chica Military Reservation | Huntington Beach | Los Angeles | World War II | 1942 | 1948 | 16-inch battery demolished | |
California | Presidio of San Francisco/Fort Winfield Scott | San Francisco | San Francisco | Colonial, Endicott | 1776 | 1945 | 1994 | Extensively re-used by various exhibits, organizations, and businesses |
California | Fort Point/Fort Winfield Scott/Castillo de San Joaquin | San Francisco | San Francisco | Colonial, Third System | 1794 | 1900 | 1970 | National park |
California | Fort Alcatraz | Alcatraz Island | San Francisco | Third System, 1870s | 1858 | 1876 | 1934 | National park, fort mostly buried by prison construction, a few casemates remain |
California | Fort McDowell | Angel Island | San Francisco | Endicott | 1901 | 1915 | 1962 | State park |
California | Fort Mason | San Francisco | San Francisco | Civil War, Endicott | 1864 | 1910 | 1972 | Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area |
California | Fort Baker/Lime Point Mil Res | Marin Headlands | San Francisco | 1870s, Endicott | 1876 | 1946 | 2000 | Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area |
California | Fort Barry | Marin Headlands | San Francisco | Endicott, Taft, Interwar, World War II | 1905 | 1948 | 1974 | Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area |
California | Fort Cronkhite | Marin Headlands | San Francisco | Interwar | 1940 | 1948 | 1974 | 16-inch gun at Battery Townsley, part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area |
California | Fort Funston/Lake Merced Mil Res | Lake Merced | San Francisco | Interwar | 1939 | 1948 | 1963 | Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area |
California | Fort Miley | Point Lobos, San Francisco | San Francisco | Endicott, World War II | 1898 | 1949 | 1949 | Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area |
Connecticut | Fort Griswold | Groton | New London | Revolutionary War, Third System | 1778 | 1903 | 1903 | Restored, open to public, state park |
Connecticut | Fort Trumbull | New London | New London | Revolutionary War, Second System, Third System | 1777 | 1900? | 1996 | Preserved, open to public, state park |
Connecticut | Fort Nathan Hale/Black Rock Fort | New Haven | New Haven | Colonial, Revolutionary War, Second System, Civil War | 1657 | 1866 | 1890 | State park, forts on site are mostly reconstructions |
Connecticut | Fort Black Rock/Fort Union | Black Rock | Fairfield | Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Spanish–American War | 1776 | 1899 | 1899 | Site now in Bridgeport, replaced by Fort Union in 1813 |
Connecticut | Fort Saybrook/Fort Fenwick | Old Saybrook | Old Saybrook | Colonial, Revolutionary War, War of 1812 | 1635 | 1815 | 1815 | Park on site, no remains |
Connecticut | Long Point Fort | Stonington Borough | Stonington | Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Spanish–American War | 1775 | 1899 | 1899 | Withstood a War of 1812 bombardment, two cannons remain in the town |
Connecticut | Fort Stamford | Stamford | Stamford | Revolutionary War | 1781 | 1783 | 1783 | Site is preserved |
Delaware | Fort Delaware | Pea Patch Island | The Delaware | Third System, Endicott | 1824 | 1942 | 1944 | First masonry fort completed 1824, demolished after a fire in 1831, state park |
Delaware | Fort DuPont/Ten Gun Battery/Fort Reynolds | Delaware City | The Delaware | Civil War, Endicott | 1864 | 1942 | 1945 | State park, National Guard armory |
Delaware | Fort Saulsbury | Slaughter Beach | The Delaware | Interwar | 1924 | 1946 | 1948 | Privately owned, two 12-inch long range batteries, never casemated |
Delaware | Fort Miles | Cape Henlopen | The Delaware | World War II | 1943 | 1948 | 1996 | State park, batteries well-preserved |
District of Columbia | Second System, Third System, Civil War, 1870s, Endicott | See Fort Washington and Fort Foote, Maryland; Battery Rodgers and Fort Hunt, Virginia | ||||||
Florida | Fort Clinch | Amelia Island | The St. Marys | Third System | 1861 | 1900 | 1935 | State park |
Florida | Castillo de San Marcos/Fort Marion | St. Augustine | St. Augustine | Colonial, Third System | 1672 | 1866 | 1933 | National park |
Florida | Fort Matanzas | St. Augustine | St. Augustine | Colonial | 1742 | 1822 | 1933 | National Monument |
Florida | Fort Taylor | Key West | Key West | Third System, Endicott | 1860 | 1946 | 1974 | State park |
Florida | Fort Jefferson | Dry Tortugas | Florida Keys | Third System | 1861 | 1888 | 1888 | National park |
Florida | Fort Brooke | Tampa | Tampa | Wooden fort | 1824 | 1883 | 1883 | Tampa Bay History Center now on site |
Florida | Fort Dade | Egmont Key | Tampa Bay | Endicott | 1899 | 1926 | 1946 | State park |
Florida | Fort De Soto | Mullet Key | Tampa Bay | Endicott | 1902 | 1921 | 1944 | State park, rearmed with Panama mounts in WWII, guns and mortars on site |
Florida | Fort Barrancas | Pensacola | Pensacola | Colonial, Third System | 1787 | 1900? | 1971 | National park, now on Naval Air Station Pensacola, Advanced Redoubt nearby |
Florida | Fort George/Fort St. Michael | Pensacola | Pensacola | Colonial | 1772 | 1814 | 1814? | Partial reconstruction on site |
Florida | Fort Pickens | Santa Rosa Island | Pensacola | Third System, Endicott, Interwar | 1834 | 1947 | 1947 | Part of Gulf Islands National Seashore |
Florida | Fort McRee | Perdido Key | Pensacola | Third System, Endicott | 1839 | 1920 | 1947 | |
Georgia | Fort Pulaski | Cockspur Island | Savannah | Third System, 1870s | 1847 | 1900? | 1924 | National Monument |
Georgia | Fort Screven | Tybee Island | Savannah | Endicott | 1899 | 1920 | 1944 | rearmed with Panama mounts in WWII, museum on site |
Georgia | Fort James Jackson/Fort Oglethorpe | Savannah | Savannah | Second System, Third System | 1812 | 1905 | 1905 | National Historic Landmark |
Georgia | Fort McAllister | Savannah | Savannah | Civil War | 1861 | 1865? | 1865? | Confederate-built, state park |
Georgia | Fort Greene | Cockspur Island | Savannah | First System | 1796 | 1804 | 1804 | Destroyed by hurricane 1804 |
Georgia | Fort at Point Petre/Fort Point Peter | St. Marys | The St. Marys | First System | 1800 | 1815 | 1870 | Burned by British 1815 |
Hawaii | Fort Elizabeth | Waimea | Kauai | Colonial | 1817 | 1853 | 1853 | Russian-built, occupied by the Kingdom of Hawaii within a year, now state park |
Hawaii | Fort Ruger | Diamond Head | Honolulu | Taft, Interwar, World War II | 1910 | 1946 | 1974 | Part of Diamond Head State Monument |
Hawaii | Fort Armstrong | Honolulu | Honolulu | Taft, Interwar, World War II | 1911 | 1949 | 1974 | |
Hawaii | Fort DeRussy | Waikiki | Honolulu | Taft | 1913 | 1946 | Military rec center, museum on site | |
Hawaii | Fort Barrette | Kapolei | Pearl Harbor | Interwar | 1937 | 1948 | ||
Hawaii | Fort Weaver | Puuloa | Pearl Harbor | Interwar | 1924 | 1948 | 1948 | |
Hawaii | Fort Kamehameha | Queen Emma Point | Pearl Harbor | Taft, Interwar | 1913 | 1949 | Now part of Hickam AFB | |
Hawaii | Battery Arizona | Kahe Point | Pearl Harbor | World War II | 1945 | 1946 | 1948 | Site of a gun turret from USS Arizona (BB-39) |
Hawaii | Fort Hase | Mokapu Point | Kaneohe Bay | World War II | 1942 | 1948 | Now part of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, includes site of a gun turret from USS Arizona (BB-39) | |
Louisiana | Fort Jackson | Triumph | The Mississippi | Third System, Endicott | 1832 | 1920 | 1922 | Parish park |
Louisiana | Fort St. Philip/Fort San Felipe | Triumph | The Mississippi | Colonial, Second System, Endicott | 1795 | 1920 | 1922 | Privately held |
Louisiana | Fort Livingston | Grand Terre Island | The Mississippi | Third System | 1861 | 1889 | 1889 | Ruined |
Louisiana | Fort Pike | New Orleans | New Orleans | Third System | 1827 | 1884 | 1890 | State historic site |
Louisiana | Fort Macomb/Fort Wood | Chef Menteur Pass | New Orleans | Third System | 1827 | 1867 | 1871 | State historic site |
Maine | Fort Sullivan | Eastport | Eastport | Second System | 1809 | 1873 | 1877 | National historic site |
Maine | Fort O'Brien/Fort Machias | Machiasport | Machiasport | Revolutionary War, Second System, Civil War | 1775 | 1865 | 1865 | State park |
Maine | Fort George | Castine | Castine | Colonial (Revolutionary War, War of 1812) | 1779 | 1819 | 1819 | State park, British-built in both wars |
Maine | Fort Edgecomb | Edgecomb | Wiscasset | Second System | 1809 | 1816 | 1865 | State historic site |
Maine | Fort Knox | Prospect | The Penobscot | Third System | 1863 | 1916 | 1923 | State park |
Maine | Fort Pownall | Stockton Springs | The Penobscot | Colonial, Revolutionary War | 1759 | 1776 | 1776 | State park, foundations remain |
Maine | Fort Popham | Phippsburg | The Kennebec | Third System, Endicott | 1863 | 1904 | 1924 | State park, used to support Fort Baldwin in WWII |
Maine | Fort Baldwin | Phippsburg | The Kennebec | Taft | 1908 | 1924 | 1945 | State park, rearmed with Panama mounts in WWII |
Maine | Fort Allen | Portland | Portland | Revolutionary War, War of 1812 | 1775 | 1815 | 1821 | City park, a few earthworks remain |
Maine | Fort Sumner | Portland | Portland | First System | 1794 | 1815 | 1821 | City park, nothing remains |
Maine | Fort Preble | South Portland | Portland | Second System, Third System, Civil War, 1870s, Endicott | 1808 | 1946 | 1950 | Now Southern Maine Community College |
Maine | Fort Scammel | House Island | Portland | Second System, Third System, 1870s | 1808 | 1902 | 1919? | Private island |
Maine | Fort Gorges | Hog Island Ledge | Portland | Third System | 1865 | 1898 | 1959 | 10-inch Parrott rifle on roof of fort |
Maine | Fort Williams | Cape Elizabeth | Portland | Endicott | 1898 | 1946 | 1962 | Town park, most batteries buried |
Maine | Fort Levett | Cushing Island | Portland | Endicott, Interwar | 1903 | 1948 | 1950? | Private island |
Maine | Fort McKinley | Great Diamond Island | Portland | Endicott | 1901 | 1947 | 1950? | |
Maine | Fort Lyon | Cow Island | Portland | Taft | 1907 | 1946 | 1950? | |
Maine | Peaks Island Military Reservation | Peaks Island | Portland | World War II | 1945 | 1948 | 1950? | 16-inch Battery Steele is a national historic site |
Maine | Fort McClary/Fort William | Kittery | Portsmouth | Colonial, Second System, Third System | 1689 | 1904 | 1918 | State historic site |
Maine | Fort Foster | Kittery | Portsmouth | Endicott | 1901 | 1946 | 1948 | Town park |
Maine | Fort Sullivan | Kittery | Portsmouth | Revolutionary War, Civil War | 1775 | 1865 | No remains, site was near Portsmouth Naval Prison | |
Maryland | Fort McHenry/Fort Whetstone | Whetstone Point, Baltimore | Baltimore | Revolutionary War, First System, 1870s | 1800 | 1912 | 1925 | National park, attack on fort in the War of 1812 inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner", great cannon collection |
Maryland | Fort Carroll | Soller's Point Flats, Patapsco River | Baltimore | Third System, Endicott | 1847 | 1920 | 1923 | On an island near the Key Bridge |
Maryland | Fort Howard | North Point/Fort Howard | Baltimore | Endicott | 1899 | 1927 | 1971 | Park, Veterans Administration hospital |
Maryland | Fort Armistead | Hawkins Point | Baltimore | Endicott | 1900 | 1920 | 1947 | City park |
Maryland | Fort Smallwood | Riviera Beach | Baltimore | Endicott | 1900 | 1927 | 1928 | County park |
Maryland | Fort Madison | United States Naval Academy | Annapolis | Second System | 1808 | 1873 | Demolished 1909 | |
Maryland | Fort Severn | United States Naval Academy | Annapolis | Second System | 1808 | 1865 | Demolished 1909 | |
Maryland | Fort Washington/Fort Warburton | Fort Washington | The Potomac | Second System, Third System, 1870s, Endicott | 1809 | 1929 | 1946 | National park, Second System fort destroyed in War of 1812 |
Maryland | Fort Foote | Fort Washington | The Potomac | Civil War | 1863 | 1902 | 1946 | National park |
Massachusetts | Eastern Point Fort | Eastern Point, Gloucester | Gloucester | Civil War | 1863 | 1867 | 1867 | Part of fort remains |
Massachusetts | Fort Defiance/Fort at Gloucester/Fort Lillie/Fort Anne | Fort Point, Gloucester | Gloucester | Colonial, First System, Second System | 1703 | 1865 | 1920? | Burned in 1833 and rebuilt 1851, but probably not to Third System standards; nothing remains |
Massachusetts | Stage Fort/Fort Gloucester/Fort Conant/others | Stage Fort Park, Gloucester | Gloucester | Colonial, Revolutionary War, Civil War | 1635 | 1865 | 1898 | Reconstructed, city park |
Massachusetts | Fort Pickering/Salem Barracks/Fort Anne/Fort William | Winter Island | Salem | Colonial, First System, Second System, Civil War | 1655 | 1900 | 1971 | Part of Winter Island Marine Park |
Massachusetts | Fort Miller/Fort Darby/Darby's Fort | Naugus Head, Marblehead | Marblehead | Colonial, Revolutionary War, Second System, Civil War, Spanish–American War | 1632 | 1900? | 1900? | Demolished |
Massachusetts | Fort Sewall/Gale's Head Fort | Gale's Head, Marblehead | Marblehead | Colonial, Revolutionary War, First System, Second System, Civil War | 1634 | 1892 | 1922 | City park |
Massachusetts | Fort Independence/Castle William/Fort Adams | Castle Island | Boston | Colonial, Revolutionary War, First System, Third System | 1634 | 1908 | 1946 | National Historic Site |
Massachusetts | Fort Warren | Georges Island | Boston | Third System, Endicott | 1861 | 1945 | 1958 | Part of Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area |
Massachusetts | Fort Winthrop/Fort Warren | Governors Island | Boston | Second System, Third System, 1870s | 1808 | 1905 | 1905? | Island now part of Logan Airport, renamed Fort Winthrop 1833, magazine explosion 1902, demolished 1941 |
Massachusetts | Fort Banks | Winthrop | Boston | Endicott | 1896 | 1943 | 1947 | Partially re-used |
Massachusetts | Fort Heath | Grovers Cliff | Boston | Endicott | 1901 | 1946 | 1969 | Batteries demolished, town park |
Massachusetts | Fort Standish | Lovells Island | Boston | Endicott | 1904 | 1947 | 1947 | Part of Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area |
Massachusetts | Fort Strong | Long Island | Boston | Endicott | 1899 | 1947 | 1961 | Bridge demolished |
Massachusetts | Fort Andrews | Peddocks Island | Boston | Endicott | 1904 | 1947 | 1957 | City park |
Massachusetts | Fort Revere/Fort Independence | Hull | Boston | Revolutionary War, Endicott | 1776 | 1946 | 1950? | Probably inactive 1782-1901, regional park |
Massachusetts | Fort Duvall | Spinnaker Island/Hog Island | Boston | Interwar | 1927 | 1948 | 1974 | Built on, gated island community |
Massachusetts | East Point Military Reservation | Nahant | Boston | World War II | 1943 | 1948 | 1962 | Part of Northeastern University |
Massachusetts | Fort Ruckman | Nahant | Boston | Interwar | 1924 | 1946 | 1962 | Partly buried, town park |
Massachusetts | Fort Dawes | Deer Island | Boston | World War II | 1944 | 1948 | 1963 | Not armed, demolished for wastewater plant |
Massachusetts | Fort Andrew/Gurnet Fort | Gurnet Point, Plymouth | Plymouth | Revolutionary War, Second System, Civil War | 1776 | 1869 | 1926 | Earthworks remain, Plymouth Light on site, private property |
Massachusetts | Fort Standish | Saquish Head, Plymouth | Plymouth | Civil War | 1863 | 1870 | 1925 | Earthworks remain, private property |
Massachusetts | Fort Rodman/Fort at Clark's Point | New Bedford | New Bedford | Third System, Endicott | 1863 | 1946 | 1975? | Town park |
Massachusetts | Fort Taber | New Bedford | New Bedford | Civil War | 1861 | 1863 | 1865 | Built and garrisoned with city resources near Fort Rodman and named after mayor, town park |
Massachusetts | Fort Phoenix/Fort Fearing | Fairhaven | New Bedford | Revolutionary War, First System, Second System | 1775 | 1866? | 1922 | Built and rebuilt with state resources, state park |
Massachusetts | Acushnet Fort | Eldridge Point, New Bedford | New Bedford | Revolutionary War, Second System | 1776 | 1815? | 1820? | Location uncertain, possibly at later Fort Taber/Fort Rodman |
Mississippi | Fort Massachusetts/Fort on Ship Island/Fort Twiggs | West Ship Island | Gulfport | Third System, Civil War | 1861 | 1903 | Part of Gulf Islands National Seashore | |
New Hampshire | Fort Constitution/Fort Castle/Fort William and Mary | New Castle Island | Portsmouth | Colonial, First System, Second System, Civil War, Endicott | 1631 | 1942 | Coast Guard station and state park | |
New Hampshire | Fort Stark/Battery Cumberland | Jerry's Point/Jaffrey's Point, New Castle Island | Portsmouth | Colonial, Revolutionary War, First System, 1870s, Endicott | 1746 | 1945 | 1983 | State historic site, unique HECP remains |
New Hampshire | Fort Washington | Peirce's Island, Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Revolutionary War | 1775 | 1815 | 1815 | Some earthworks remain near water treatment plant |
New Hampshire | Fort Dearborn | Rye | Portsmouth | World War II | 1942 | 1948 | 1959 | State park |
New Jersey | Fort Hancock/Fort on Sandy Hook | Sandy Hook | Southern New York | Third System, Endicott, Taft, Interwar | 1865 | 1948 | 1974 | Third System fort mostly demolished, adjacent to former Sandy Hook Proving Ground, part of Gateway National Recreation Area |
New Jersey | Highlands Military Reservation/Navesink Military Reservation | Highlands | Southern New York | World War I, World War II | 1917 | 1949 | 1974 | Now Hartshorne Woods Park, 16-inch gun on site |
New Jersey | Fort Lee | Fort Lee | Palisades | Revolutionary War | 1776 | 1783? | 1783? | Site now Monument Park with museum |
New Jersey | Fort Billingsport/Fort Billings | Billingsport | Philadelphia | Revolutionary War | 1777 | 1781 | 1834 | Destroyed 1777, rebuilt 1778, local park, no remains |
New Jersey | Fort Mercer | National Park/Red Bank | Philadelphia | Revolutionary War | 1777 | 1781? | 1781? | County park |
New Jersey | Fort Mott | Pennsville | The Delaware | 1870s, Endicott | 1899 | 1943 | 1947 | 1870s work incomplete, state park, near Fort Delaware |
New Jersey | See New York entries for Fort Wood, Liberty Island/Bedloe's Island and Fort Gibson, Ellis Island/Oyster Island | |||||||
New York | Fort Amsterdam/Fort George/other names | Lower Manhattan | New York City | Colonial | 1626 | 1788 | 1790 | Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House now on site |
New York | Fort Washington/Fort Knyphausen | Manhattan | Upper Manhattan | Revolutionary War | 1776 | 1783? | 1783? | Site is now Bennett Park |
New York | Fort Jay/Fort Columbus/Nutten Island batteries | Governors Island | New York City | Revolutionary War, First System, Second System, Civil War | 1776 | 1904 | 1997 | Rebuilt and renamed Fort Columbus 1808-1904, national park |
New York | Castle Williams | Governors Island | New York City | Second System | 1811 | 1895 | 1997 | National park |
New York | Fort Wood | Liberty Island/Bedloe's Island | New York City | Second System | 1811 | 1885 | 1937 | Statue of Liberty built on top of fort, national park |
New York | Fort Gibson | Ellis Island/Oyster Island | New York City | First System, Second System | 1795 | 1861 | 1892 | National park, fort demolished |
New York | Castle Clinton/Fort Clinton | Battery Park, Manhattan | New York City | Second System | 1809 | 1821 | 1821 | City park |
New York | Fort Lafayette/Fort Diamond | Hendricks Reef, The Narrows | New York City | Second System | 1818 | 1898 | 1948 | Offshore of Fort Hamilton, demolished in 1960 for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge |
New York | Fort Gansevoort | Gansevoort Street, Manhattan | New York City | Second System | 1812 | 1849 | 1854 | demolished, was near west end of Gansevoort Street |
New York | Fort Hamilton | Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn | Southern New York | Third System, Endicott | 1831 | 1948 | Harbor Defense Museum in fort, National Guard and Reserve base, 20-inch Rodman gun in nearby park | |
New York | Fort Wadsworth/Fort Tompkins/Fort Richmond (Battery Weed)/Flagstaff Fort | Staten Island | Southern New York | Colonial, Revolutionary War, Second System, Third System, Endicott | 1636 | 1944 | 1994 | Part of Gateway National Recreation Area, history of forts on site is complex |
New York | Fort Tilden | Rockaway, Queens | Southern New York | World War I, Interwar | 1917 | 1948 | 1974 | Part of Gateway National Recreation Area |
New York | Fort Slocum | Davids' Island | Eastern New York | Endicott | 1897 | 1919 | 1965 | Mostly demolished, no routine access to island |
New York | Fort Schuyler | Throgs Neck, The Bronx | Eastern New York | Third System, Endicott | 1856 | 1934 | 1934 | State University of New York Maritime College, Third System fort re-used as offices and classrooms |
New York | Fort Totten/Fort at Willet's Point/Camp Morgan | Bayside, Queens | Eastern New York | Third System, 1870s, Endicott | 1862 | 1935 | 1995 | Police and fire training center, other uses |
New York | Fort H. G. Wright | Fishers Island | Long Island Sound | Endicott, World War II | 1901 | 1946 | 1948 | Part of fort is a town brush dump |
New York | Fort Michie | Great Gull Island | Long Island Sound | Endicott, Interwar | 1900 | 1947 | 1948 | American Museum of Natural History bird sanctuary, has unique 16-inch disappearing emplacement |
New York | Fort Terry | Plum Island | Long Island Sound | Endicott, World War II | 1900 | 1944 | 1954 | USDA animal disease research center, future uncertain |
New York | Fort Tyler | Gardiners Point Island | Long Island Sound | Endicott | 1898 | 1928? | 1946? | WWII target range, island is shifting and fort is breaking up |
New York | Camp Hero | Montauk Point | Long Island Sound | World War II | 1944 | 1948 | 1981 | Large decommissioned AN/FPS-35 radar on site |
North Carolina | Fort Fisher | Federal Point/Pleasure Island | Wilmington | Civil War | 1862 | 1865 | 1865 | Confederate-built |
North Carolina | Fort Caswell | Oak Island | The Cape Fear | Third System, Endicott | 1836 | 1925 | 1948 | Rearmed with Panama mounts in WWII, North Carolina Baptist Assembly camp since 1949 |
North Carolina | Fort Johnston | Southport | Wilmington | Colonial, Revolutionary War, First System | 1749 | 1881 | 2004 | North Carolina Maritime Museum |
North Carolina | Fort Macon/Fort Hampton | Bogue Banks | Beaufort | Second System, Third System | 1811 | 1903 | 1946 | Area rearmed with 155 mm GPF guns in WWII as THD Beaufort, state park |
Oregon | Fort Stevens | Hammond | The Columbia | Endicott | 1836 | 1925 | 1948 | Bombarded by Japanese submarine in WWII, state park |
Pennsylvania | Fort Mifflin | Mud Island/Deep Water Island | Philadelphia | Colonial, Revolutionary War, First System, 1870s | 1777 | 1904 | 1962 | near airport, mine casemates built 1876 |
Puerto Rico | Castillo San Felipe del Morro/Morro Castle/Fort Brooke | San Juan | San Juan | Colonial, World War I, World War II | 1539 | 1950? | 1961 | |
Puerto Rico | Fort Amezquita | Isla de Cabras | San Juan | World War II | 1941 | 1948 | 1950? | Casemated 12-inch gun battery |
Puerto Rico | Fort Charles W. Bundy | Roosevelt Roads Naval Station | Vieques Sound | World War II | 1943 | 1947 | ||
Puerto Rico/St. Thomas | Fort Segarra | Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands | Vieques Sound | World War II | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | Incomplete 8-inch gun battery, former chemical warfare test site |
Rhode Island | Fort Adams | Newport | Narragansett Bay | First System, Third System, 1870s, Endicott | 1799 | 1943 | 1950 | State park, major Third System fort and Endicott batteries remain |
Rhode Island | Fort Wolcott/Fort Liberty/Fort Anne | Goat Island | Newport | Colonial, Revolutionary War, First System, Second System | 1703 | 1836 | 1951 | Various other names over the years, site of former Naval Torpedo Station Newport, nothing remains |
Rhode Island | Conanicut Battery | Jamestown | Jamestown | Revolutionary War | 1776 | 1783 | 1783 | Town park, earthworks remain |
Rhode Island | Fort Greene | Easton's Point, Newport | Newport | First System | 1794 | 1815? | 1815? | City park |
Rhode Island | Fort Hamilton | Rose Island | Newport | Revolutionary War, First System | 1780 | 1815? | 1948? | Never completed, National Historic Site |
Rhode Island | Fort Dumpling/Fort Brown | Jamestown | Newport | Colonial, Revolutionary War, First System | 1776 | 1824 | 1824? | Remains destroyed for Fort Wetherill 1898 |
Rhode Island | Fort Wetherill | Jamestown | Narragansett Bay | Endicott, Taft | 1901 | 1947 | 1947 | State park, most batteries remain |
Rhode Island | Fort Burnside | Jamestown | Narragansett Bay | World War II | 1942 | 1948 | 1948 | State park, batteries and large HECP (Harbor Entrance Control Post) remain |
Rhode Island | Fort Getty | Jamestown | Narragansett Bay | Taft | 1910 | 1946 | 1946? | Town RV park, mostly buried |
Rhode Island | Fort Greble | Dutch Island | Narragansett Bay | Endicott | 1901 | 1942 | 1946? | State park, uninhabited island sometimes used for National Guard training |
Rhode Island | Fort Kearny | Saunderstown | Narragansett Bay | Taft | 1908 | 1943 | 1946? | University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay campus, nuclear research reactor on top of one battery |
Rhode Island | Fort Varnum | Boston Neck, Narragansett | Narragansett Bay | World War II | 1942 | 1947 | National Guard training center | |
Rhode Island | Fort Greene | Point Judith, Narragansett | Narragansett Bay | World War II | 1943 | 1948 | One 16-inch battery is in Fishermen's Memorial State Park, part of fort is an Army Reserve center | |
Rhode Island | Fort Church | Little Compton | Narragansett Bay | World War II | 1942 | 1948 | 1950? | Batteries buried |
Rhode Island | Fort Mansfield | Napatree Point, Westerly | Long Island Sound | Endicott | 1901 | 1917 | 1926 | Public beach |
South Carolina | Fort Sumter | Charleston Harbor | Charleston | Third System, Endicott | 1860 | 1946 | 1948 | Bombardment of this fort in April 1861 was the first major action of the American Civil War, National Historic Monument |
South Carolina | Fort Moultrie | Sullivan's Island | Charleston | Revolutionary War, First System, Second System, 1870s, Endicott, World War II | 1776 | 1947 | 1948 | National Historic Monument, great cannon collection |
South Carolina | Fort Johnson | James Island | Charleston | Colonial, First System | 1704 | 1865? | 1970? | First shot of the Civil War (a signal) fired from this fort, little remains |
South Carolina | The Battery | Charleston | Charleston | Civil War | 1860 | 1865 | 1865 | Has gun said to have fired the first effective shot (from Morris Island) of the Civil War |
South Carolina | Castle Pinckney/Fort Pinckney | Charleston | Charleston | First System, Second System | 1798 | 1878? | 1933 | First System fort destroyed by hurricane 1804, access by prior arrangement only |
South Carolina | Fort Wagner | Morris Island | Charleston | Civil War | 1862 | 1865 | 1865 | Earthwork, nothing remains |
South Carolina | Fort Fremont | Saint Helena Island | Port Royal Sound | Endicott | 1899 | 1914 | 1921 | |
South Carolina | Fort Welles/Fort Walker | Hilton Head Island | Port Royal Sound | Civil War, Endicott | 1861 | 1902 | 1902 | Had a dynamite gun emplacement |
South Carolina | Fort Marion/Beaufort Battery/Fort Lyttleton | Spanish Point, Port Royal | Port Royal | Colonial, Second System | 1764 | 1825 | 1825 | Archaeological site |
Texas | Fort Travis | Bolivar Point | Galveston | Endicott, Interwar | 1900 | 1946 | 1947 | Park |
Texas | Fort San Jacinto | Fort Point, Galveston Island | Galveston | Endicott, World War II | 1898 | 1946 | 1947 | |
Texas | Fort Crockett | Galveston | Galveston | Endicott, Interwar | 1899 | 1946 | 1947 | Park |
Texas | Fort Travis | Fort Point, Galveston Island | Galveston | Texas Revolution | 1836 | 1844 | 1844 | |
Virginia | Fort Monroe/Fort George | Old Point Comfort, Hampton | Chesapeake Bay | Colonial, Third System, Endicott | 1728 | 1943 | 2011 | Initially named Fortress Monroe until 1832. National park, major fort with Casemate Museum and some Endicott batteries |
Virginia | Fort Norfolk | Norfolk | Norfolk | First System, Second System | 1794 | 1880 | Park, Army Corps of Engineers offices | |
Virginia | Fort Nelson | Portsmouth | Norfolk | Revolutionary War, First System, Civil War | 1776 | 1865? | 1865? | Hospital Point Park near naval hospital, Fort Nelson Park commemorates |
Virginia | Craney Island Fort | Craney Island, Portsmouth | Norfolk | Second System, Civil War | 1813 | 1865 | Battle of Craney Island in the War of 1812 fought here | |
Virginia | Fort Wool/Fort Calhoun | Rip Raps, Hampton Roads | Chesapeake Bay | Third System, Endicott | 1834 | 1946 | 1967 | Renamed in 1862, bird sanctuary, no public access |
Virginia | Fort John Custis | Cape Charles | Chesapeake Bay | World War II | 1942 | 1948 | 1981 | National wildlife refuge, 16-inch gun on site |
Virginia | Fort Story | Virginia Beach | Chesapeake Bay | World War I, Interwar, World War II | 1917 | 1948 | Now part of Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story | |
Virginia | Fort Hunt | Fort Hunt | The Potomac | Endicott | 1898 | 1920 | 1946 | National park, batteries well-preserved |
Virginia | Fort Powhatan/Fort Hood | Windmill Hill, Prince George County | The James | Revolutionary War, Second System, Civil War | 1779 | 1865 | 1865 | Abandoned 1830-1861, portions remain |
Virginia | Fort Boykin/The Castle | Smithfield, Isle of Wight County | The James | Colonial, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War | 1623 | 1862 | 1865 | Rebuilt for each war, county park, portions remain |
Virginia | Fort Huger | Harden's Bluff, Isle of Wight County | The James | Civil War | 1862 | 1862 | 1865 | County park, portions remain |
Washington | Fort Columbia | Chinook | The Columbia | Endicott, World War II | 1898 | 1945 | 1950 | State park, former Civil Defense bunker |
Washington | Fort Canby/Fort Cape Disappointment | Cape Disappointment | The Columbia | Civil War, Endicott, World War II | 1864 | 1947 | 1947 | State park, said to be site of Lewis and Clark arriving at the Pacific |
Washington | Fort Ward | Bainbridge Island | Puget Sound | Endicott | 1903 | 1925 | 1958 | Local park |
Washington | Fort Whitman | Goat Island | Puget Sound | Taft | 1911 | 1943 | 1947 | |
Washington | Fort Flagler | Marrowstone Island | Puget Sound | Endicott | 1902 | 1946 | 1953 | State park |
Washington | Fort Casey | Admiralty Head, Whidbey Island | Puget Sound | Endicott | 1899 | 1942 | 1956 | State park, remounted 10-inch and 3-inch guns from the Philippines |
Washington | Fort Worden | Point Wilson, Port Townsend | Puget Sound | Endicott | 1900 | 1946 | 1953 | State park |
Washington | Fort Ebey | Partridge Point, Whidbey Island | Puget Sound | World War II | 1943 | 1946 | 1950? | State park |
Washington | Camp Hayden | Joyce | Cape Flattery | World War II | 1944 | 1948 | 1948 | State recreation area |
See also
References
- Wade 2011, pp. 15–21.
- Wade 2011, pp. 115–120.
- Lewis 1979, pp. 21–36.
- Berhow 2015, pp. 423–424.
- Berhow 2015, pp. 23–42.
- Lewis 1979, pp. 37–45.
- Weaver II 2018, pp. 2–8.
- Berhow 2015, pp. 54–55.
- Lewis 1979, pp. 68–71.
- Weaver II 2018, pp. 14–15.
- Endicott and Taft Boards at CDSG.org
- Berhow 2015, pp. 86–87, 92–93, 180–183.
- Berhow 2015, pp. 425–427.
- Berhow 2015, pp. 154–155, 227–228.
- Lewis 1979, pp. 75–89.
- Berhow 2015, pp. 154–155, 170–179, 227–228.
- Lewis 1979, pp. 100–115.
- Berhow 2015, pp. 174–177, 227–231.
- Lewis 1979, pp. 115–125.
- Berhow, Mark A., Ed. (2015). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Third Edition. McLean, Virginia: CDSG Press. pp. 52–53, 201–231. ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond (1979). Seacoast Fortifications of the United States. Annapolis: Leeward Publications. ISBN 978-0-929521-11-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Wade, Arthur P. (2011). Artillerists and Engineers: The Beginnings of American Seacoast Fortifications, 1794–1815. CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-2-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Weaver II, John R. (2018). A Legacy in Brick and Stone: American Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, 1816-1867, 2nd Ed. McLean, VA: Redoubt Press. ISBN 978-1-7323916-1-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Forts in the United States. |
Further reading
- Roberts, Robert B. (1988). Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-926880-X.