Castle Island is a peninsula in

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

on the shore of

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...

. In 1928, Castle Island was connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land and is thus no longer an island. It has been the site of a fortification since 1634, and is currently a recreation site and the location of Fort Independence.

History

In 1632, a fortification was constructed on Fort Hill to defend the town. In 1634, Boston sought defenses farther out in the harbor, on one of the numerous islands which protected the port. In July 1634, the town decided to build a fortification on Castle Island. Deputy Governor

Roger Ludlow Roger Ludlow (1590–1664) was an English lawyer, magistrate, military officer, and colonist. He was active in the founding of the Colony of Connecticut, and helped draft laws for it and the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony. Under his and John Mas ...

and Captain John Mason of Dorchester supervised construction of the fort. After a structure was built on the northeast side of the island, the General Court resolved that the fort at Castle Island should be completed before any other fortification was begun. The fort was later known as Castle William and required incoming ships to recognize the fortification and would fire at them if they didn't offer recognition by raising their flag. After the end of the

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

the fortress was a site of interment of captured Native Americans who were shipped out to be sold into the Atlantic slave trade markets. By the end of the century, the fort had been expanded to create a crossfire with the fort on Governor's Island. Some people who worked at the fort included Thomas Beecher (ancestor of

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...

), a Castle officer; Captain Nicholas Simpkins, a first commander; Lt Edward Gibbons, a first commander; and

Roger Clapp Roger Clapp (1609–1690) was an early English colonist who settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts and served as a military and political leader in early colonial Massachusetts. Roger Clapp was born in 1609 in Salcombe Regis, Devon, England and bec ...

, who served for several decades as an officer. In 1701, Colonel Wolfgang William Romer, the chief military engineer for North America, came to Boston to fortify the harbor. Castle William was improved with brick walls and 20 cannon positions by 1705. During the 18th century, many people were imprisoned at the Fort, including privateer

Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste (born in Bergerac, France 1663, died in Acadia after August 1714) was a French privateer famous for the success he had against New England merchant shipping and fishing interests during King William's War and Queen Ann ...

from 1702–06. In 1775,

Prince Hall Prince Hall (1807) was an American abolitionist and leader in the free black community in Boston. He founded Prince Hall Freemasonry and lobbied for education rights for African American children. He was also active in the back-to-Africa movem ...

and fourteen other men of African descent became freemasons on March 6, 1775, on the island. They were initiated in a British Army Lodge, No. 441 of the Irish Registry by J. E. Batt, Worshipful Master, on what was then still called Castle William Island. During the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town ...

, Castle William served as the main base of military operations for the British. The leaders of the Massachusetts royal administration took refuge there with their families, as did some prominent loyalists or "tories." Major Pelham Winslow of the prominent loyalist town of

Marshfield, Massachusetts Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on Massachusetts's South Shore. The population was 25,825 at the 2020 census. It includes the census-designated places (CDPs) of Marshfield, Marshfield Hills, Ocean Bluf ...

was the Commander of Castle William for a time during the Revolution. After the British Evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776, Castle William was destroyed. After the fort was destroyed, Lieutenant Paul Revere was put in charge of rebuilding it. The rebuilt fort was named Fort Independence on December 7, 1797. In 1785, the fort was designated as a state prison. File:1789 CastleWilliam BostonHarbor MassachusettsMagazine.jpg, Castle William, as it appeared before its destruction in 1776 File:Situationsplan von Boston (Massachusetts).jpg, 1888 map of Boston Harbor showing Castle Island as an island Beginning in 1801, a new fort on Castle Island was built by the war department. The fort helped protect Boston from British attack 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 ...

. The island is also the site of a monument to

Donald McKay Donald McKay (September 4, 1810 – September 20, 1880) was a Canadian-born American designer and builder of sailing ships, famed for his record-setting clippers. Early life He was born in Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, on Nova Scotia's ...

, the builder of the famous clipper ships '' Flying Cloud'' and ''

Sovereign of the Seas ''Sovereign of the Seas'' may refer to one of these ships: * , an English Royal Navy warship of 102 guns; later renamed ''Sovereign'' and ''Royal Sovereign'' * ''Sovereign of the Seas'' (clipper), an 1852 clipper ship built by Donald McKay in Bos ...

''. The present structure, built between 1833 and 1851, is the eighth generation of forts. Castle Island was originally some distance offshore, but

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

for expansion of port facilities has extended the mainland towards it, and it is now connected to the mainland by pedestrian and vehicle causeways. Today it is operated as a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

by the

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...

and is open to tours in the summer. Aerial view of Castle Island, Massachusetts in World War II

Local lore has it that an unpopular officer was walled up in the fort's dungeon following a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

in which he killed a more popular man.

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

learned of the legend while serving on Castle Island in the Army, and his short story "

The Cask of Amontillado "The Cask of Amontillado" (sometimes spelled "The Casque of Amontillado" ) is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the November 1846 issue of ''Godey's Lady's Book''. The story, set in an unnamed Italy, Italian cit ...

" is said to be based on it. 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 ...

the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

used the site for a ship

degaussing Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating a remnant magnetic field. It is named after the gauss, a unit of magnetism, which in turn was named after Carl Friedrich Gauss. Due to magnetic hysteresis, it is generally not possible to redu ...

station. In 1970, the fort 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 ...

As a visitor attraction

Castle Island is open to the public year-round. Interpretive programs are conducted by the Castle Island Association in conjunction with the

. Attractions include a playground, beach and swimming access, and restaurant Sullivan's. Tours of Fort Independence are conducted by The Castle Island Association on a seasonal schedule.

References

External links

Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Castle Island Map
Department of Conservation and Recreation (PDF) {{authority control Landforms of Boston Boston Harbor peninsulas and former islands Beaches of Massachusetts History of Boston Parks in Boston State parks of Massachusetts Tourist attractions in South Boston Former islands of Massachusetts

History

As a visitor attraction

See also

Further reading

References

External links