Remnants of Fort Wood - New York, NY - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "The Statue of Liberty's pedestal sits ontop of the remains of Fort Wood, originally one link in a chain of defense protecting New York City and its vital Harbor. The fort was built between 1808 and 1811 in the shape of an eleven-pointed star.

In 1883, the Statue of Liberty's pedestal was erected inside the fort, transforming its star-shaped base into the statue's perimeter structure.

In 1907, improvements were made integrating Fort Wood's structure into the path for entry into the Statue. The once open space was filled to the level you are now standing on and the interior was paved, providing a plaza-like level from which the pedestal rose.

In the 1960s, the space between the statue pedestal and rampart was excavated and enclosed to form the museum. During construction in 2011, "fill" was removed exposing fort remains.

You are looking at the remains of a bomb-proof room, mostly likely built in the 1840s. The mortared brick vault enclosed this room, which was later converted for use as a guard room and then as a prison cell.

The National Park Service adapted construction plans in order to leave these exposed features of the fort visible to the public."

Group that erected the marker: NPS Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Liberty Island, NY, NY URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   08/18/2016 bluesnote visited it

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