Fort Pickering is a 17th-century historic fort site on
Winter Island
Winter Island is an island connected by a causeway to Salem Neck in Salem, Massachusetts. It is about in size, and is bounded by Smith Pool to the northwest, Cat Cove to the west, Salem Channel to the south and east, and Juniper Cove to the ...
in
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
. Fort Pickering operated as a strategic coastal defense and military barracks for
Salem Harbor
Salem Harbor is a harbor in northeastern Massachusetts spanning an area north and south of Salem, Massachusetts, Salem. Historically the Salem Harbor was the site of one of the major international ports in the colonies. During the American R ...
during a variety of periods, serving as a fortification from the
Anglo-Dutch Wars
The Anglo–Dutch Wars ( nl, Engels–Nederlandse Oorlogen) were a series of conflicts mainly fought between the Dutch Republic and England (later Great Britain) from mid-17th to late 18th century. The first three wars occurred in the second ...
through World War II. Construction of the original fort began in 1643 and it saw use as a military installation into the 20th century.
Fort Miller (Fort Darby prior to the Civil War) in
Marblehead also defended Salem's harbor from the 1630s through the American Civil War. Fort Pickering is a
First System fortification named for Colonel
Timothy Pickering
Timothy Pickering (July 17, 1745January 29, 1829) was the third United States Secretary of State under Presidents George Washington and John Adams. He also represented Massachusetts in both houses of Congress as a member of the Federalist Party ...
, born in Salem,
adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the Continental Army and
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 ...
in 1795.
[Roberts, pp. 407–408] Today, the remains of the fort are open to the public as part of the Winter Island Maritime Park, operated by the City of Salem.
17th century
Winter Island at the time of English settlement in the early 17th century was an island separated from the mainland, held as common land by the Proprietors and used as a fortification and for fishing activities. In 1643 Fort William was begun on the island.
[
]
18th century
Circa 1702, during Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...
, Fort William was renamed Fort Anne (for then Queen Anne), and was rebuilt around 1706 under the direction of the Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
, who were earlier sent by King William III to fortify the colonies. It is unclear how much was accomplished, as a debate on whether the town or the province should fund the rebuilding lasted past 1711, when the war ended for the American colonies. In 1735 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, ...
provided 600 pounds to rebuild the fort to hold 15 guns.[ It was rebuilt again by the town and known as Fort Number Two in ]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 ...
hands during 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 ...
.
In 1794, the City of Salem ceded the fort to the federal government and a new fort was constructed in its place, part of the first system of U.S. fortifications. The 1794 U.S. Army report on fortifications called for the fort to have eight artillery pieces, a blockhouse
A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...
, and a 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 ...
. The fort's garrison was proposed to consist of one officer and 22 enlisted men.
Major repairs to the fort were conducted in 1796 and a restoration in 1799. Later in 1799 it was renamed Fort Pickering in honor of Timothy Pickering, then Secretary of State of the U.S.[
]
19th century
The fort was rebuilt in 1800 and 1808 to mount six guns as part of the second system of U.S. fortifications.[ In a report on the conditions of fortifications of the United States submitted to Congress by President Jefferson on January 6, 1809, the following is stated regarding Fort Pickering - "The fort and ]block house
A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stron ...
, ... with a magazine under it, have been repaired and a new barrack erected." Another report in December 1811 stated the fort was "an enclosed work of brick and sods, mounting six heavy guns, covered by a block house".
Regular Army
A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...
commanders of the fort (combined with Fort Sewall
Fort Sewall is a historic coastal fortification in Marblehead, Massachusetts. It is located at Gale's Head, the northeastern point of the main Marblehead peninsula, on a promontory that overlooks the entrance to Marblehead Harbor. Until 1814 it ...
in Marblehead) from 1800 to 1812 included Capt. Alexander D. Pope 1800–1802, a detachment of Capt. Nehemiah Freeman's company 1802–1803, no federal garrison 1804–1808, and Capt. Stephen Ranney 1809–1812.
Massachusetts militia camps on Winter Island in the 1850s and 1860s included Camp Sutton (1853, 1855), Camp Edmunds (1856), Camp Banks (1858), and Camp Gardner (1860s).[ Camp Sutton existed in 1853 and 1855. The camp was named for general William Sutton and was occupied by the 2nd Division. Camp Edmunds existed in 1856. The camp was named for Major General B.F. Edmunds and was occupied by the 4th Brigade. Camp Banks existed in 1858. The camp was named for Major General ]Nathaniel P. Banks
Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...
and was occupied by the 2nd Division.
The fort received another military restoration in 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 ...
.[ In 1820 it had a capacity of 11 guns.][Manuel 2019, pp. 32–35] During the 19th century, the island was used primarily for fortification and in 1864 the City of Salem again ceded the island to the federal government in support of 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 ...
efforts. Although the capacity remained at 11 guns, the area of the fort was increased, with earthwork parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
s built outside the stone fort and gun embrasure
An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...
s added for improved protection. The 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 ...
was also increased in size.[ To defend against land attack, the gorge at the rear of the fort was guarded by two curtain walls and a wet ]moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
. The walls were part of a bombproof shelter with loopholes
A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system.
Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...
for small arms. Facilities outside the fort included a guard house, hospital/commissary
A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop.
In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...
, barracks/mess hall, stable, sink, and well. An armament report by Major Charles E. Blunt dated January 31, 1865 shows the fort had six 24-pounder 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 ...
guns
A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...
, three 32-pounder rifles
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with bo ...
, and two 24-pounder rifles. It was also called Salem Barracks in that war.[ From May 1864 to June 1865 Fort Pickering was garrisoned successively by the 3rd and 17th ]Unattached Companies Massachusetts Volunteer Militia The Unattached Companies of Massachusetts Volunteer Militia were units of infantry raised for the defenses of the eastern coast of
Massachusetts during the American Civil War. Twenty-six companies were mustered into the Union Army during 1864-1865, ...
.[Higginson, pp. 318, 323]
20th century
In 1935 most of the land on Winter Island became the newly established Coast Guard Air Station Salem
Coast Guard Air Station Salem was a United States Coast Guard air station located in Salem, Massachusetts from 1935 to 1970. Its area of coverage extended from New York City to the Canada–United States border.
Mission
The air station's missi ...
. The air station had a hangar and ramp for seaplane
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...
s. Aircraft from the station conducted anti-submarine patrols during 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 ...
and search and rescue missions until it was closed in 1971.[
The site was added to the ]National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1973. In 1994, the National Register designated the entire collection of cultural resources at Winter Island
Winter Island is an island connected by a causeway to Salem Neck in Salem, Massachusetts. It is about in size, and is bounded by Smith Pool to the northwest, Cat Cove to the west, Salem Channel to the south and east, and Juniper Cove to the ...
and Fort Pickering as the Winter Island Historic District and Archaeological District. Portions of the Civil War fort remain.[
]
See also
* Fort Lee (Salem, Massachusetts)
* Seacoast defense in the United States
Seacoast defense was a major concern for the United States from its independence until World War II. Before Military aviation, airplanes, many of America's enemies could only reach it from the sea, making coastal forts an economical alternative t ...
* List of coastal fortifications of the United States
*
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, Massachusetts
* List of military installations in Massachusetts
This is a list of current and former military installations in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Current military installations in Massachusetts Joint facilities
;Bases
* Joint Base Cape Cod (state designation, not federally recognized)
References
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*
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*
External links
Fort Pickering Facebook page
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures completed in 1644
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Buildings and structures in Salem, Massachusetts
Pickering
National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts
1644 establishments in Massachusetts
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Massachusetts