Fort Carroll is a

artificial island An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those th ...

and abandoned hexagonal sea fort in the middle of the Patapsco River, just south of

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. It is named for

Charles Carroll of Carrollton Charles Carroll (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832), known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles Carroll III, was an Irish-American politician, planter, and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only Catholic si ...

(1737–1832), a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

Design and construction

In 1847, the State of Maryland gave permission to the United States War Department to construct a fort in the shallow water of Soller's Point Flats to protect the city of Baltimore. Fort Carroll was important for the defense of Baltimore—before the fort's construction,

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack ...

just outside the city was the only military defensive structure between Baltimore and the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

. The fort was part of the "Permanent System" or

Third System Seacoast defense was a major concern for the United States from its independence until World War II. Before airplanes, many of America's enemies could only reach it from the sea, making coastal forts an economical alternative to standing armies ...

construction program, which aimed to defend America's most important ports. Then Brevet-Colonel Robert E. Lee designed the hexagonal structure and supervised the construction, which the

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

commenced in 1848. The fort received its name on 8 October 1850. In 1852, Lee left Baltimore to become Superintendent of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point. In 1853 a lighthouse, now abandoned, was built on the ramparts to aid navigation into Baltimore Harbor. In 1898 a new lighthouse was built, the one still seen today. It was automated in 1920 and discontinued operations before 1945. The original design foresaw the fort being armed with some 225 cannon on three levels. However, in April 1861 at the outbreak 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 ...

, Fort Carroll's walls were still less than half the planned height of thirty feet. Only five gun platforms were ready and only two were armed with guns. Still, the Army emplaced about thirty cannon and occupied the fort throughout the war. In April 1864 torrential rains flooded the fort's magazines, which led the Army to move all the powder and ammunition to Fort McHenry. Fort Caroll Blueprint

Spanish–American War

When the United States entered into 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 = (cloc ...

in 1898, the Army again defended the fort, although the batteries by then were completely obsolete. The Army therefore commenced the construction of modern concrete gun emplacements following the designs of the

Endicott Board Several boards have been appointed by US presidents or Congress to evaluate the US defensive fortifications, primarily coastal defenses near strategically important harbors on the US shores, its territories, and its protectorates. Endicott Board ...

. The Army created three batteries: Battery TowsonThe battery was named in honor of Major General

Nathan Towson Nathaniel Towson (; January 22, 1784 July 20, 1854), also known as Nathan Towson, was a brevet major general in the United States Army. A career soldier, he fought in the War of 1812 as an artillery officer. He served as paymaster of the Army af ...

, U.S. Army. He had served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War and died July 20, 1854 at Washington, District of Columbia. (two 12"

barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protectio ...

carriage guns), Battery HeartThe battery was named in honor of Major Jonathan Heart, 2nd U.S. Infantry, who served during the Revolutionary War. He died on 4 November 1791 in action with Indians near

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, wit ...

, Ohio. (two 5-inch M1897 guns on balanced pillar mounts) and Battery AugustinBattery Augustin was named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Joseph N. Augustin, Jr., 24th U.S. Infantry, who died 2 July 1898 of wounds he had received the day before at the

Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill, also known as the Battle for the San Juan Heights, was a major battle of the Spanish–American War fought between an American force under the command of William Rufus Shafter and Joseph Wheeler against a Spanish fo ...

. (two 3" balanced pedestal-mount guns). Fort Carroll Panorama

The new batteries were ready by September 1900, well after the end of the war. They received their names on 30 March 1903.

World War I and abandonment

After World War I broke out, in 1917 the Army removed the guns from Battery Heart and in 1918 those from Battery Towson to use elsewhere. By 1920, all guns had been removed from the fort. In March 1921 the Army officially abandoned Fort Carroll and moved whatever military equipment was left to nearby Fort Howard. The

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

declared the island excess property in 1923, but took no immediate steps to sell the land. A variety of proposals for the use of the island were advanced, including a prison, as well as a 1923 plan advanced by Baltimore mayor William Broening to place an electric "Welcome to Baltimore" sign on the island, accompanied by a statue of Lord Baltimore. In World War II the Army used the fort as a firing range. It also served as a checkpoint for vessels. In May 1958, Baltimore attorney Benjamin Eisenberg purchased the island for , intending to put a casino there, but development plans never materialized. The fort is now deserted and the habitat for various animals. It is also a site for occasional urban explorations. In 2013, Preservation Maryland placed Fort Carroll on its list of threatened historic properties. It 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 ...

in 2015.

References

Notes

External links