Ft. Independence - Castle Island - Boston, MA - Historic Forts on Waymarking.com

At the easternmost point of the South Boston peninsula is a park called Castle Island. The main feature of Castle Island is a stone structure that is Fort Independence. The site has had a long history of having defensive establishments and has a connection with Edgar Allen Poe.

The first fortification was established on this former island was an earthwork fort with three cannon, built in 1634. Several replacement structures were built here over the years. The 5th on the spot was owned by the British and was occupied by the British during the first part of the American Revolutionary War until they evacuated, destroying it on their way out. Lt. Col. Paul Revere and Col Richard Gridley repaired the fort. The 7th fort was built in 1803 and incorporated the five point structure that was the basis for today's fort. It was this fort that was the site of a duel between Lts. Massie and Drane in 1817 and a legend grew that one of the men was walled up in the fort by the other. Edgar Allen Poe learned of this legend while he served briefly (5 months) at this fort and is said to have been inspired to write the short story, "The Cask of Amontillado."

The 8th and present fortress was built in 1851 by Col. Sylvanus Thayer, known as "The father of West Point" and a native of nearby Braintree, MA. he doubled the height of the fort, replaced brick with granite and other improvements. This fort was used to train soldiers during the Civil War, and was used as a temporary prison for Yankee deserters. New canons forged from the nearby Algers foundry were fired from this island to Thompson Island. The fort was deactivated from 1879 to 1989, then was activated during the Spanish-American War to be used as a torpedo and mine station. The fort was used as an observation station during World War I and a station that detected the level of magnetism on a ship's hull (to avoid mines that were attracted to magnetic fields).

In 1962, the Metropolitan District Commission purchased Castle Island. Ownership has since been transferred to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Currently, this agency and the Castle Island Association cooperate in preserving the fort and giving tours of it. Tours are available on certain days of the year, including Saturdays and Sundays in June, July, and August. The fort is also converted into the Children's Magical Halloween Castle on the 4th Saturday and Sunday in October. There is a web site about the fort and the events happening there.

At the time of my visit on a weekday morning, the entrance to the fort was open, but there was a net across the inner opening that allowed me to look in but not actually enter the inner portion of the fort.

In general, the fort is in good shape. All walls are intact, but I don't believe all portions of the fort are safe to walk in.

Additional Source:

Wikipedia (Fort Independence-Castle Island):
(visit link)

The year the "Fort" was constructed or started.: 01/01/1851 Name of "Country" or "Nation" that constructed this "Fort": United States of America Was this "Fort" involved in any armed conflicts?: Yes it was What was the primary purpose of this "Historic Fort"?: For protecting a travel or shipping route Current condition: All walls are intact and much of the Castle is open for tours with guides. All portions of the outside walls are intact. The batteries and magazine rooms outside of fort are filled in. This site is administered by ----: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Open to the public?: Open or unrestricted access. Official or advertised web-page: [Web Link] Link if this "Fort" is registered on your Countries/ State "Registry of Historical Sites or Buildi: [Web Link] If admission is charged -: Not Listed Link to web-site that best describes this "Historic Fort": Not listed

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/03/2012 oreillypatton visited it