Stage Fort was a fort that existed from 1635 to 1898 on Stage Head in what is now Stage Fort Park in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

. Stage Head was named for a fishing "stage" dating back to the original settlement by the Dorchester Adventurers Company circa 1624. The area was first fortified in 1635 and garrisoned intermittently from then until the Spanish–American War.Fort Gloucester at FortWiki.com
/ref>Roberts, p. 400

History

After the first fort was built on the site in 1635, the next upgrade was a rudimentary fortified breastwork in 1703 for

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 ...

. New breastworks and a platform for eight 12-pounder

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 ...

were built in 1743 for

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in t ...

. The fort was refurbished for the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

circa 1754. Another breastwork was built 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 ...

in October 1775. 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 ...

the fort was repaired and a barracks added. The fort was further renovated circa 1862 for the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

under the supervision of Major Charles E. Blunt, and called Fort Conant after early settler Roger Conant.Manuel, pp. 32, 38, 43 He arrived at Stage Head circa 1626 and is credited as the

Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns of ...

colony's first governor. He resided in a "

great house A great house is a large house or mansion with luxurious appointments and great retinues of indoor and outdoor staff. The term is used mainly historically, especially of properties at the turn of the 20th century, i.e., the late Victorian or ...

" near Stage Head, which was moved to Salem by his successor

John Endecott John Endecott (also spelled Endicott; before 1600 – 15 March 1664/1665), regarded as one of the Fathers of New England, was the longest-serving governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He serv ...

circa 1628. An 1864 plan of the fort shows

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 for four guns 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 ...

. An armament list for the fort dated January 31, 1865 shows three 32-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 mounted. Also, the Eastern Point Fort was built in 1863 to provide a fort much nearer the harbor entrance. In 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 ...

of 1898, a military camp named Camp Hobson was at or near Stage Fort.

Present

The fort was reconstructed for tourism in 1930, with a further reconstruction and the addition of period and reproduction

in 1973. It is open to the public in Stage Fort Park, which also includes Gloucester's welcome center for visitors.

Historical names

Over nearly four centuries of existence, the fort on Stage Head has been known by many names. In addition to Stage Fort and Fort Conant, references list Fort Gloucester (Fort at Gloucester was used by the US Army for Fort Defiance), Fort Point, Fort Eastern Point, and other variants of these names. Fort Banks, Fort Cross, and Fort Allen were alternate names during the Fort Conant period of the Civil War. The Eastern Point name may refer to the Eastern Point Fort, which was built in 1863 across the harbor. Fort Point is also used for the land Fort Defiance was built on.

References

* * {{FmrMAForts Forts in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Gloucester, Massachusetts British forts in the United States Colonial forts in Massachusetts American Revolutionary War forts War of 1812 forts American Civil War forts 1635 establishments in Massachusetts 1898 disestablishments in Massachusetts

History

Present

Historical names

See also

References