Fort Terry was a coastal fortification on Plum Island, a small island just off

Orient Point, New York Orient is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States. The CDP's population was 743 at the 2010 census. ''Orient'' and ''Orient Point'' are used almost interchangeably. However, Orient Point ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. This strategic position afforded it a commanding view over the Atlantic entrance to the commercially vital

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. It was established in 1897 and used intermittently through the end of World War II. In 1952, it became a military animal and

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. Bio ...

(BW) research facility, moving to civilian control in 1954 as the

Plum Island Animal Disease Center Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of foreign animal diseases of livestock. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security Directorate for Science and Technology, an ...

. However, the biological warfare mission continued under civilian control until 1969, when the US ended offensive BW research. The island is now being considered for sale or conversion to a wildlife refuge. Fort Terry was listed on 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 2021.

History

Early history

First “owned” by the

Corchaug Metoac is an erroneous term used by some to group together the Munsee-speaking Lenape (west), Quiripi-speaking Unquachog (center) and Pequot-speaking Montaukett (east) American Indians on what is now Long Island in New York state. The term ...

and

Montaukett = Montauketts = An indigenous Native American People. Name and Identifications The Montaukett ("Metoac" or Matouwac), currently more commonly known as Montauk. The meaning of the name ''Montauk'' is unknown. Native Americans living on Long ...

Indian tribes the Plum Island was sold to

Samuel Wyllys Samuel Wyllys (January 4, 1739 – June 9, 1823) was an American military officer in the American Revolution, Connecticut politician, and a member of the Wyllys–Haynes family. Early life Wyllys was born on January 4, 1739, and baptized o ...

for a coat, a barrel of biscuits and 100 fishhooks. The original fort was constructed after the federal government acquired Plum Island from Abraham S. Hewitt, a former mayor of

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

,Bleyer, Bill.
Plum Island Animal Disease Center
, from ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'', via ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'', April 26, 2004, accessed January 10, 2009. for $25,000. It is not clear how Hewitt became owner of the property.

Endicott period (1895-1916)

Fort Terry, named for Major General

Alfred Terry Alfred Howe Terry (November 10, 1827 – December 16, 1890) was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869, and again from 1872 to 1886. In 1865, Terry led Union troops to v ...

, began construction in 1897 under the Endicott Program as part of the

Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound The Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound was a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps harbor defense command. It coordinated the coast defenses of Long Island Sound and Connecticut from 1895 to 1950, beginning with the Endicott program. These ...

, and was expanded several times from the time of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

through World War II. The initial federal purchase was for 150 acres; however, the rest of the island was turned over to the federal government in 1901.Cella, Alexandra.
An Overview of Plum Island: History, Research and Effects on Long Island
, ''Long Island Historical Journal'', Fall 2003/Spring 2004, Vol. 16, Nos. 1 and 2, pp. 176-181 (194-199 in PDF), accessed January 10, 2009. In 1898, before any of Fort Terry's batteries were completed, the Spanish–American War broke out. It was feared the Spanish fleet would bombard the US east coast. A number of weapons were purchased from the UK and hastily mounted to give the nascent fort system some modern armament. By March 1898 a 4.7 inch/45 caliber gun was mounted at Battery Kelly under this program. It was later transferred to the

Sandy Hook Proving Ground The Sandy Hook Proving Ground was a military facility along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey established by the Secretary of War on August 7, 1874, to serve as the United States Army's first proving ground for the testing of ordnance and materi ...

in New Jersey, possibly in 1903. A pair of emplacements for modern

8-inch M1888 The 8-inch gun M1888 (203 mm) was a U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps gun, initially deployed 1898–1908 in about 75 fixed emplacements, usually on a disappearing carriage. During World War I, 37 or 47 of these weapons (references vary) w ...

guns on modified 1870s-era Rodman carriages were also built at nearby

Fort Tyler Fort Tyler was a coastal fortification on Gardiners Point Island, a small island off Gardiners Island, in Gardiners Bay, at the eastern tip of Long Island, New York City, New York. The fort was constructed in 1898, during the Spanish American War, ...

, but these seem to have not been armed.Congressional serial set, 1900, ''Report of the Commission on the Conduct of the War with Spain'', Vol. 7, pp. 3778–3780, Washington: Government Printing Office
/ref> Between 1897 and 1906 the following batteries were constructed at Fort Terry:Fort Terry at FortWiki.com
/ref> Battery Stoneman was named in honor of

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

(Bvt.) Major General (MG)

George Stoneman George Stoneman Jr. (August 8, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a United States Army cavalry officer and politician who served as the fifteenth Governor of California from 1883 to 1887. He was trained at West Point, where his roommate was Stonewall ...

, who served with distinction during the U.S. Civil War, died 5 Sep 1894. Battery Steele was named in honor of Bvt. MG

Frederick Steele Frederick Steele (January 14, 1819 – January 12, 1868) was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for retaking much of secessionist Arka ...

, U.S. Army, who served with distinction during the Mexican–American War and the U.S. Civil War, and who died on 12 Jan 1868. Battery Bradford was named on March 13, 1902 in honor of Captain James Bradford, U.S. Artillery, who was killed on November 4, 1791, in action with hostile Indians at

Fort Recovery Fort Recovery was a United States Army fort ordered built by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne during what is now termed the Northwest Indian War. Constructed from late 1793 and completed in March 1794, the fort was built along the Wabash River, with ...

, Ohio. Battery Floyd was named in honor of 2nd Lt. Robert Floyd, 3rd US Artillery, mortally wounded in the Battle of Chickamauga, GA, died on 23 Sep 1863. Battery Dimick was named in honor of Justin E. Dimick, an artillery officer mortally wounded in the Battle of Chancellorsville, VA, died on 5 May 1863. Battery Eldridge was named in honor of Capt. Bogardus Eldridge, U.S. Infantry, who was killed in action at Bocoor, Philippine Islands, 2 Oct 1899. Battery Dalliba was named in honor of Bvt. Major James Dalliba, assistant commissary of

ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...

, who served 1811-1824 and died 8 Nov 1832. Battery Greble was named in honor of 1st Lt. John Greble, 2nd US Artillery, killed in action at the

Battle of Big Bethel The Battle of Big Bethel was one of the earliest land battles of the American Civil War. It took place on the Virginia Peninsula, near Newport News, on June 10, 1861. Virginia's decision to secede from the Union had been ratified by popular vot ...

, 10 Jun 1861. Battery Steele was unusual in that the two 10-inch gun emplacements are on different levels on a hillside. As an artillery post, Fort Terry was heavily armed as part of the

Coast Defenses of Long Island Sound The Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound was a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps harbor defense command. It coordinated the coast defenses of Long Island Sound and Connecticut from 1895 to 1950, beginning with the Endicott program. Thes ...

. The Army's forts of this type were garrisoned by the

Coast Artillery Corps The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an Corps#Administrative corps, administrative corps responsible for coastal defence and fortification, coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft Seacoast defense in the United States, defense of the United S ...

. By 1914 the fort had 11 gun batteries and facilities to control an underwater minefield.1669-2003: A Partial History of Plum Island
", ''United States Animal Health Association Newsletter'', Vol. 30, No. 4, October 2003, pp. 5, 26, accessed January 10, 2009. In addition the post was home to an advanced

fire control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a ...

for both the guns and the minefield. The grounds also had a functional 36" gauge railroad built in 1914. The Porter locomotive was used to haul munitions from bunkers to the artillery batteries. Fort Terry served as an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

post during the Spanish–American War, and it was intended to attack enemy ships as they headed toward New York City. Organized in 1907, it was initially manned by the 133rd Company, Coast Artillery Corps, organized in 1907. In 1916, they were re-designated as the 3d Company, and continued to serve in that capacity throughout World War I. Lieutenant Colonel

Andrew Hero, Jr Andrew Hero Jr. (December 13, 1868 – February 7, 1942) was a Major general (United States), major general in the United States Army who was prominent for his service as Chief of United States Army Coast Artillery Corps, Coast Artillery. Early ...

was in command of the post in August, 1915.

World War I

Following the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

in April 1917, changes were made at the stateside forts with a view to putting some coast artillery weapons into the fight on the Western Front. The Coast Artillery Corps manned almost all US heavy and railway artillery in that war, with stateside forts reduced to a minimum garrison to provide gun crews in France. The forts were also important as mobilization and training centers. The four 6-inch guns of Batteries Floyd and Dimick were dismounted in 1917, to be mounted on field carriages for service in France. The pair of 5-inch guns of Battery Kelly were apparently remounted at Fort H. G. Wright until scrapped in 1919. The 6-inch guns appear to have arrived in France, but for lack of training time none of the 5-inch or 6-inch batteries saw action in that war. The guns were never returned to Fort Terry. In 1918 four of Battery Stoneman's mortars were removed; this was to improve reloading time as reloading four mortars simultaneously in one pit was cumbersome. Many of the mortars removed under this program became railway artillery, but none of these were shipped to France during the war.

Between the wars

Following the end of World War I, Fort Terry was declared surplus and put under the control of personnel at

Fort H.G. Wright Fort H. G. Wright was a United States military installation on Fishers Island in the town of Southold, New York, just two miles off the coast of southeastern Connecticut, but technically in New York. It was part of the Harbor Defenses of Long Isla ...

in caretaker status. Two anti-aircraft batteries with two guns each were built in 1920, probably armed with the 3-inch gun M1917. In 1924, Fort Terry was used by the Portsmouth (NH) National Guard Armory (the 197th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft)) as their summer encampment and training location. The gun and machine gun battalions worked on night firing solutions at aerial balloon targets, tracked by the searchlight battalion. In 1930 the federal census for New York identified 133 people living on Fort Terry. In 1930 the Justice Department conducted a study on building a 1000-cell prison on the island, but it was deemed impractical and was not built. In 1932-34, the 3-inch gun batteries Hagner, Greble, and Campbell were disarmed.

World War II

During World War II, the post was put to use as a training facility and supply depot. and as a look-out for German

U-boats U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare rol ...

and planes. On 7 December 1941, the fort was listed as manned by the 242nd Coast Artillery Regiment (Harbor Defense) of the

Connecticut Army National Guard The Connecticut Military Department is a state agency of the government of Connecticut. Its primary components are the Connecticut Army National Guard, the Connecticut Air National Guard, and four companies of the state militia. The Military Dep ...

.Stanton, pp. 456, 470 Today, on the east side of Plum Island, a network of

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

remains from the area's tenure as an artillery post.

Grossman, Karl Karl Grossman is an author, TV program host and full professor of journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury, State University of New York/College at Old Westbury. For 30 years, he has hosted the TV interview program ''Enviro C ...

.
Target: Plum Island
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', September 11, 2005, accessed January 10, 2009. Fort Terry's guns were superseded by the pair of 16-inch batteries at

Camp Hero Camp Hero State Park is a state park located on Montauk Point, New York, Montauk Point, New York (state), New York. The park occupies a portion of the former Montauk Air Force Station. History Military use The site known as Camp Hero, or th ...

in Montauk by 1944, so all except the four 3-inch guns of Batteries Eldridge and Dalliba were scrapped. During World War II the following batteries were built at Fort Terry: After World War II it was determined that gun coast defenses were obsolete. In 1948, the fort was once again declared surplus and disarmed with all guns scrapped.Fort Terry
, New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, ''NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs'', accessed January 9, 2009.

Animal disease center

Beginning April 15, 1952, it served as a U.S. Army Chemical Corps facility. As such, it was under the control of the First Army. It was small and focused primarily on anti-animal

(BW) research aimed at enemy livestock. Anti-animal agents rinderpest and

foot and mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

were the main areas of research.Chauhan, Sharad S. ''Biological Weapons'',
Google Books
, APH Publishing Corporation, 2004, p. 197, (). When the decision to use the Fort as a research facility was planned, it was envisioned that it would be staffed by less than 20 personnel. Fort Terry's Chemical Corps installation covered three acres and included many of the amenities traditionally associated with U.S. military installations. Included on the grounds were various administration buildings, laboratories, a dock, a motor pool, a

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 ...

, a hospital, a fire station, staff housing and animal housing. When the Chemical Corps took control of Fort Terry, in 1952, it required the remodeling of 18 original buildings on post. The Army had been developing plans for the animal disease facility at Fort Terry since 1951. A laboratory was planned for the circa 1911

Building 257 Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of foreign animal diseases of livestock. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security Directorate for Science and Technology, a ...

, originally known as Combined Torpedo Storehouse and Cable Tanks building. The lab was not completed by the time the Chemical Corps transferred the fort to the USDA but it and the rest of the remodeled buildings were eventually incorporated into the civilian facility. In 1954, the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

(USDA) took over the island, and began to use it as the

. It was then staffed by at least 9 military and 8 civilian employees.Wheelis, ''Deadly Cultures'', p. 225-228. Most of the disease research done by the USDA focused on biological warfare until

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

ended the U.S. bio-weapons program in 1969. Most of the original buildings and batteries still stand today and in many cases have been incorporated in one way or another into the island's new role as a disease research center.

2000-2016

As of August 2001, the fort and all of Plum Island was listed for sale with the

Government Accounting Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a legislative branch government agency that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal gover ...

under FORT TERRY POW SUB-STA number C02NY0619 as accepting bids, with $12,000 "cost up to date" for historical clean up. It is listed as "no further action", that is, no cleanup is needed under the FUDS cleanup program, no DOD-related hazards present.New York: Properties Identified for Potential Inclusion in FUDS Cleanup Program
Government Accounting Office n.d. retrieved 25 May 2016 In June 2003, the responsibility for Plum Island facilities was transferred from the USDA to the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

.Combating Bioterrorism: Actions Needed to Improve Security at Plum Island Animal Disease Center
, ''

General Accounting Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a legislative branch government agency that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal govern ...

'', September 19, 2003, accessed January 10, 2008. A 2008 DHS report recommended that the remnants of Fort Terry, its buildings and batteries, be opened to the public and preserved. The Town of

Southold, New York The Town of Southold is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located in the northeastern tip of the county, on the North Fork of Long Island. The population was 23,732 at the 2020 census. The town also contains a ha ...

formed a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) which noted that many of the island's structures, including those at Fort Terry, could qualify for listing on the U.S.

.National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Environmental Impact Statement - Scoping Report
, ''

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

'', February 2008, pp. 3-8 to 3-9 (pp. 27-28 in PDF), accessed January 10, 2009. On 16 May 2016, the House unanimously passed “Save, Don’t Sell Plum Island”, Bill H.R. 1887 reversing the 2008 decision to put the island up for sale which would have led to future development and, ultimately, the destruction of the island.

Biological warfare research

The original anti-animal biological warfare research mission at Fort Terry was "to establish and pursue a program of research and development of certain anti-animal biological warfare agents". The first agent that was a candidate for development was

(FMD). Besides FMD, five other top secret BW projects were commissioned on Plum Island.Carroll, Michael C. ''Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory'',
Google Books
, HarperCollins, 2004, pp. 45-48, (). The other four programs researched included Rift Valley fever (RVF),

rinderpest Rinderpest (also cattle plague or steppe murrain) was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and many other species of even-toed ungulates, including gaurs, buffaloes, large antelope, deer, giraffes, wildebeests, and warthogs ...

African swine fever ''African swine fever virus'' (ASFV) is a large, double-stranded DNA virus in the '' Asfarviridae'' family. It is the causative agent of African swine fever (ASF). The virus causes a hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in domestic pigs; ...

, and a slew of miscellaneous exotic animal diseases. Among the miscellaneous diseases were 11pathogens. These were Blue tongue virus, Bovine influenza,

Bovine virus diarrhea Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), bovine viral diarrhoea (UK English) or mucosal disease, and previously referred to as bovine virus diarrhea (BVD), is an economically significant disease of cattle that is found in the majority of countries throughout ...

(BVD), fowl plague, goat pneumonitis,

mycobacteria ''Mycobacterium'' is a genus of over 190 species in the phylum Actinomycetota, assigned its own family, Mycobacteriaceae. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis ('' M. tuberculosis'') and ...

, "N" virus,

Newcastle disease Virulent Newcastle disease (VND), formerly exotic Newcastle disease, is a contagious viral avian disease affecting many domestic and wild bird species; it is transmissible to humans. Though it can infect humans, most cases are non-symptomatic; ...

, sheep pox, Teschers disease, and

vesicular stomatitis ''Indiana vesiculovirus'', formerly ''Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus'' (VSIV or VSV) is a virus in the family ''Rhabdoviridae''; the well-known ''Rabies lyssavirus'' belongs to the same family. VSIV can infect insects, cattle, horses and pigs ...

. See, Wheelis, p. 226. other animal pathogens. Shortly before the handover of the facility to the Department of Agriculture in 1954, Fort Terry's mission was altered. The number of pathogens studied was reduced to two, rinderpest and FMD, and the mission was changed to "defensive" research of those two diseases.

References

* * * * Wheelis, Mark, et al. ''Deadly Cultures: Biological Weapons Since 1945'',
Google Books
, Harvard University Press, 2006, (). {{coord, 41, 10, 48, N, 72, 11, 42, W, display=title

Terry Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albrit ...

Plum Island (New York) Southold, New York Long Island Sound Buildings and structures in Suffolk County, New York 1897 establishments in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, New York