• Home
• History of the Fort
• The John Brown Song
• The Lady in Black
• Confederate Prisoners
• Gun Batteries
• Fort Warren Book
• Private Fort Tours
• Links

Brief history of the fort

Construction of Fort Warren on Georges Island began in 1833. It was built of granite from nearby Quincy and from Cape Ann. It was already obsolete before it was completed because of several major technological military changes such as high-powered cannons and ironclad ships. Construction was conducted in several stages until the Civil War started.

The bulk of the fort was completed by 1850.

The Civil War
The first Union troops arrived in April 1861, and they were unexpectedly followed by Confederate prisoners in October 1861. The fort never received its full compliment of cannon, but it was heavily armed throughout the Civil War with 10- and 15-inch Rodman cannons and coastal cannons. New infantry recruits also were trained at Fort Warren before they were sent to the front.

A 15-inch Rodman cannon at Fort Warren.

Civil War era 10-inch Rodman cannon mounts constructed of granite.

The parade grounds in 1864. Battery Jack Adams was later constructed in the bastion at the center of the photo.

World War I
During the time of the Spanish-American War, the fort had modern artillery installed during the Endicott Period. In World War I, the fort was an important mine control center for the two minefields near the fort. The mines were anchored on the seabed and electrically fired which allowed a friendly ship to pass over the minefields without harm. The main gun batteries were operational and sometimes test fired. At the end of World War I the fort was placed on caretaker status.

A fire drill at the main barracks about 1910.

An early 20th century postcard of the fort. The main barracks is at the right.

World War II
The 241st Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) was assigned to the fort when it was re-activated during
WW II. They maintained and test fired the large disappearing guns in Battery Stevenson and Battery Bartlett. Towards the end of the war, the huge guns were removed, and many of the coast artillery soldiers were sent to the war in Europe to join the field artillery units.

Officers of the 241st Coast Artillery in World War II.

Troop formation on the parade grounds in 1941. Battery Jack Adams is in the background.
Photo by Raymond Hanson courtesy of Dorothy Snow Bicknell

New recruits were again trained at Fort Warren during World War II. The fort also continued as an important mine control center. Mines were maintained at the brick mine storage building which is used today as the fort's administrative headquarters.

The former mine storage building located at the pier.

Decommissioned
In the early 1950s, the fort became obsolete because of the development of long range bombers and missiles, and it was permanently decommissioned.

Here is a short Fort Warren movie taken about 1957 during a Boston fireboat shore inspection. Some of the old wooden buildings are still standing. The grass on the parade ground was over 2 feet tall and had not been mowed since the war ended—and the troops left. Only a lone government caretaker lived on the island at the time this film clip was made.

In 1958 the federal government turned Fort Warren over to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and in 1961 the fort was opened to the public. In 1970 Fort Warren was designated as a National Historic Landmark.