Fort Wadsworth Overlook

Fort Wadsworth Overlook

NPS Photo/N Guarino

Quick Facts

Location:

Staten Island, NY

Amenities

1 listed

Scenic View/Photo Spot

This spectacular view was recognized for its strategic value centuries ago by no one less than George Washington himself. Arriving in New York City in April of 1776 after the British evacuation of Boston, George Washington ordered a signal station placed on this location, watching for the imminent British arrival. In late June ships began to appear; within days they had sailed through the narrows unencumbered and landed on Staten Island, and within months they had captured Brooklyn and Manhattan. The British held New York City for the remainder of the war and constructed earthen fortifications on this location in 1778.

The safety and security of New York City as a major port and center of finance made the permanent fortification of this site a priority. The first major American fortifications on this site were begun just before the War of 1812. Earlier forts like Castle Clinton and Fort Jay had been constructed closer to the city, but the strategic importance of the narrows in preventing passage to hostile ships was paramount. Like today, there was a fort located on this hill known as Fort Tompkins, and a fort located below on the water known as Fort Richmond (the current structure is named Battery Weed). These forts were replaced in the mid-nineteenth century by the structures you see today. An enemy ship attempting to attack New York City would have to contend with not only Fort Wadsworth, but Fort Hamilton on the other side of the narrows in Brooklyn.

Would you have felt safer living in New York City knowing that these forts were here?