Fort Tompkins

Fort Tompkins

Quick Facts

Location:

Staten Island, NY

Fort Tompkins- Fort Tompkins was named for New York Governor and Vice President of the United States Daniel Tompkins. This imposing granite structure, constructed between 1859 and 1876, was designed to work in tandem with Battery Weed. Battery Weed was positioned to fire on enemy ships attempting to pass through the narrows, and Fort Tompkins was situated above to protect Battery Weed from a landward attack. Attacking soldiers charging up the hill to the west would be confronted by Fort Tompkins’ “dry moat”; any soldiers unfortunate enough to find themselves inside the moat would be subjected to a fatal crossfire from every direction.

Fort Tompkins also served as barracks from 1870 until 1930; it was capable of housing over 500 soldiers, along with facilities like a mess hall, storage, stables, library, and gymnasium. Each “squad room”, as individual dormitories were called, would have accommodated 10 men. In later years Fort Tompkins housed functions as eclectic as offices, storage, classrooms, a museum, and even—briefly—a minimum security federal prison.

What other uses do you think an old fort like Fort Tompkins can serve today?