Fort Andrew is a former fort built as Gurnet Fort in 1776 for the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

on Gurnet Point in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It became a federal fort and was rebuilt in 1808, and again in 1863 during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

when it received its current name. It is named for

John A. Andrew John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to ...

, governor of Massachusetts 1861–1866.Roberts, p. 393 In 1863 Fort Standish was built nearby on

Saquish Saquish Beach, sometimes simply referred to as Saquish, is a beach and headland located at the end of the peninsula at the entrance to Plymouth Bay in Plymouth, Massachusetts. A small private settlement of summer cottages line the beach and headl ...

Head. After the war, the federal government declared Fort Andrew an inactive military reservation in 1869. The reservation was sold in 1926 and mostly became private property, except for the US Coast Guard light station. A

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

fire control tower A fire control tower is a structure located near the coastline, used to detect and locate enemy vessels offshore, direct fire upon them from coastal batteries, or adjust the aim of guns by spotting shell splashes. Fire control towers came into g ...

was built on the parapet of the old fort. Plymouth (Gurnet Point) lighthouse is also on Gurnet Point, and was moved inside the fort's earthworks to protect it from

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

in 1997–1998.

History

Gurnet Fort was built in 1776 for the American Revolutionary War, via a resolution of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

of June 3, 1776. It had six guns and a 60-man garrison, almost half from nearby

Duxbury Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 at the 20 ...

. The guns were

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, including three 12-pounders, two 9-pounders, and one 6-pounder. The lighthouse was first built in 1768, thus preceding the fort. In 1776, briefly engaged Gurnet Fort while searching for

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s. ''Niger'' grounded but was soon refloated. One of

Plymouth Light Plymouth Light, also known as Gurnet Light, is a historic lighthouse located on Gurnet Point at the entrance to Plymouth Bay in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The light is accessible only by passing through the town of Duxbury, which lies to ...

's two beacons at the time was destroyed, but there were no other casualties.''The Gurnet'' by Charles W.E. Morris at Pilgrimhall.org
/ref> Gurnet Fort was rebuilt with five guns in 1808 as part of the federal second system of U.S. fortifications. As with many federal forts prior to the 1890s, it does not seem to have had an official name in this era. It appears in the

secretary of war The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

's reports on fortifications dated December 1808 and December 1811. In 1808 it is mentioned as "the old work on Gurnet head, near Plymouth, has been repaired, and platforms in front". In 1811 the entry reads: "At the Gurnet Point, the entrance of the harbor; the old fort has been repaired with stone and sods, mounting five heavy guns...". One source states the fort was further rebuilt during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

to accommodate 42-pounder guns, the largest the United States had at that time. In 1863 during the

the fort was rebuilt and renamed Fort Andrew, with the rebuilding designed and supervised by Major Charles E. Blunt of the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. It could accommodate four guns plus three not mounted, with a bombproof shelter and two

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

s.Manuel, pp. 49–51 The seven guns installed during the Civil War consisted of four eight-inch (203 mm)

s and three 32-pounder

rifled In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the proj ...

pieces Piece or Pieces (not to be confused with peace) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Piece (chess), pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing the game of chess * ''Pieces'' (video game), a 1994 puzzle game for the Super NES * P ...

. An eighth piece at Fort Andrew was a "light field piece", possibly a 6-pounder field gun or similar.

Development

Through two separate transactions, one in 1808 and another in 1870, the government acquired the that constituted Fort Andrew. In 1927, the War Department transferred the property to the U.S. Department of Treasury for use as a US Coast Guard Station. The use of the site prior to the government's acquisition is unknown, but it currently contains a residential area, a Coast Guard facility, and a lighthouse. Researchers (presumably in the 1990s or 2000s connected with the

Formerly Used Defense Sites Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS or FDS) are properties that were owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the United States Secretary of Defense. The term also refers to the U.S. military pro ...

(FUDS) program) uncovered no information pertaining to the facilities and activities of Fort Andrew (FUDS Site No. D01MA051400) prior to the Civil War. In 1863, the military rebuilt the fort and placed seven coastal defense weapons at Fort Andrew. By 30 June 1867, the fort possessed an additional light field piece installed on a temporary firing platform, which was removed by April 1880. A records search uncovered no information pertaining to the operation of the fort after 1880. The INPR indicates that the Department of Treasury acquired the land for the US Coast Guard in 1927, ending its use by the War Department, except for a tract that the War Department used for a fire control tower in World War II. Documents located by the research team did not mention the use of any CWM at this site.

Present

The lighthouse remains within the fort's earthworks. The World War II fire control tower was demolished at some time postwar. The fort is only accessible to the public during seasonal open houses at the lighthouse.

References

* * * *

External links

Pilgrim Hall Museum

Plymouth memories of an octogenarian, pp. 414–415

A Guide to Historic Plymouth
{{FmrMAForts History of Massachusetts

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

History of Plymouth County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Plymouth County, Massachusetts Plymouth, Massachusetts 1776 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay Formerly Used Defense Sites in Massachusetts

History

Development

Present

See also

References

External links