Castle Island is a peninsula in South Boston on the shore of Boston Harbor. In 1928, Castle Island was connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land and is thus no longer an island. It has been the site of a fortification since 1634, and is currently a recreation site and the location of Fort Independence.

History

In 1632, a fortification was constructed on Fort Hill to defend the town. In 1634, Boston sought defenses farther out in the harbor, on one of the numerous islands which protected the port. In July 1634, the town decided to build a fortification on Castle Island. Deputy Governor Roger Ludlow and Captain John Mason of Dorchester supervised construction of the fort. After a structure was built on the northeast side of the island, the General Court resolved that the fort at Castle Island should be completed before any other fortification was begun. The fort was later known as Castle William and required incoming ships to recognize the fortification and would fire at them if they didn't offer recognition by raising their flag. After the end of the King Philip's War the fortress was a site of interment of captured Native Americans who were shipped out to be sold into the Atlantic slave trade markets. By the end of the century, the fort had been expanded to create a crossfire with the fort on Governor's Island. Some people who worked at the fort included Thomas Beecher (ancestor of Henry Ward Beecher), a Castle officer; Captain Nicholas Simpkins, a first commander; Lt Edward Gibbons, a first commander; and Roger Clapp, who served for several decades as an officer. In 1701, Colonel Wolfgang William Romer, the chief military engineer for North America, came to Boston to fortify the harbor. Castle William was improved with brick walls and 20 cannon positions by 1705. During the 18th century, many people were imprisoned at the Fort, including privateer

Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste (born in Bergerac, France 1663, died in Acadia after August 1714) was a French privateer famous for the success he had against New England merchant shipping and fishing interests during King William's War and Queen Ann ...

from 1702–06. In 1775, Prince Hall and fourteen other men of African descent became freemasons on March 6, 1775, on the island. They were initiated in a British Army Lodge, No. 441 of the Irish Registry by J. E. Batt, Worshipful Master, on what was then still called Castle William Island. During the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town ...

, Castle William served as the main base of military operations for the British. The leaders of the Massachusetts royal administration took refuge there with their families, as did some prominent loyalists or "tories." Major Pelham Winslow of the prominent loyalist town of Marshfield, Massachusetts was the Commander of Castle William for a time during the Revolution. After the British Evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776, Castle William was destroyed. After the fort was destroyed, Lieutenant Paul Revere was put in charge of rebuilding it. The rebuilt fort was named Fort Independence on December 7, 1797. In 1785, the fort was designated as a state prison. File:1789 CastleWilliam BostonHarbor MassachusettsMagazine.jpg, Castle William, as it appeared before its destruction in 1776 File:Situationsplan von Boston (Massachusetts).jpg, 1888 map of Boston Harbor showing Castle Island as an island Beginning in 1801, a new fort on Castle Island was built by the war department. The fort helped protect Boston from British attack during the War of 1812. The island is also the site of a monument to Donald McKay, the builder of the famous clipper ships '' Flying Cloud'' and '' Sovereign of the Seas''. The present structure, built between 1833 and 1851, is the eighth generation of forts. Castle Island was originally some distance offshore, but

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

for expansion of port facilities has extended the mainland towards it, and it is now connected to the mainland by pedestrian and vehicle causeways. Today it is operated as a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and is open to tours in the summer. Aerial view of Castle Island, Massachusetts in World War II

Aerial view of Castle Island, Massachusetts in World War II

Local lore has it that an unpopular officer was walled up in the fort's dungeon following a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

in which he killed a more popular man. Edgar Allan Poe learned of the legend while serving on Castle Island in the Army, and his short story " The Cask of Amontillado" is said to be based on it. During World War II the U.S. Navy used the site for a ship degaussing station. In 1970, the fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As a visitor attraction

Castle Island is open to the public year-round. Interpretive programs are conducted by the Castle Island Association in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Attractions include a playground, beach and swimming access, and restaurant Sullivan's. Tours of Fort Independence are conducted by The Castle Island Association on a seasonal schedule.

References

External links

Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Castle Island Map
Department of Conservation and Recreation (PDF) {{authority control Landforms of Boston Boston Harbor peninsulas and former islands

Beaches of Massachusetts Massachusetts Landforms of Massachusetts Swimming venues in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Massachusetts ...

History of Boston Parks in Boston State parks of Massachusetts Tourist attractions in South Boston Former islands of Massachusetts

History

As a visitor attraction

See also

Further reading

References

External links