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List of coastal fortifications of the United States facts for kids

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The United States and the colonies that preceded it 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.

United States fortification programs

Colonial period through 1885

Stad Amsterdam in Nieuw Nederland (City Amsterdam in New Netherland) Castello Plan 1660
Fort Amsterdam, the quadrangular structure (left) in this 1660 image stood at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, defending New Amsterdam
Plan of Fort Norfolk 1860
Fort Norfolk in 1861, a first system fort upgraded as part of the second system
Freiheitsstatue NYC full
The Statue of Liberty is built on top of Fort Wood of the second system
Aerial view of Fort Adams. - Fort Hamilton, Rose Island, Newport, Newport County, RI HAER RI-58-5
Fort Adams, one of the largest third system forts

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. The second system began construction in 1802, due to tensions with Britain and France that ultimately led to the War of 1812. 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. Although designs varied, most were bastioned polygonal forts, having a large seacoast armament with musketry loopholes and howitzer positions to defend against land attacks. 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.

Endicott program through World War I

Seacoast-Battery
Endicott Program battery with two guns on disappearing carriages

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. 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. 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. 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.

Between the wars

12in-gun-barbette-CAJ192211
12-inch gun on long-range barbette carriage

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 ports protected by these included Boston, New York City, the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 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.

World War II

16-inch-Casemated
16-inch casemated gun, typical World War II installation

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.

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.
  • 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 Historic State Park/Fort McAllister Richmond Hill 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 Fort at Salisbury Point Salisbury Beach, Salisbury The Merrimack Civil War 1863 1865 1865 No remains due to beach erosion
Massachusetts Fort Philip Plum Island, Newburyport The Merrimack Revolutionary War, Second System 1776 1815 1815 No remains due to beach erosion
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 Lyttelton 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

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