Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center

Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center Plaza

NPS Photo/D Yun

Quick Facts

Location:

Staten Island, NY

Amenities

4 listed

Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Picnic Table, Restroom, Wheelchair Accessible

Wecome to Fort Wadsworth, one of the oldest military installations in the country. The name, which dates to 1865, honors New York native James Wadswotth, a brigadier general during the American Civil War who was killed in action during the Battle of Wilderness in 1864. Fort Wadsworth guarded the entrance to New York Harbor for the better part of two centuries without ever firing a shot in anger, earning it the moniker "Guardian of the Narrows". 

The unusual looking building in front of you houses Fort Wadsworth’s visitor center and museum. If it’s open be sure to stop inside, talk to a ranger, and learn about the history of New York City’s coastal defenses. Across the street from the plaza is Building 210, which was constructed as barracks in 1930 and today serves as the park headquarters. The large cannon that dominates the plaza is a training mortar. It was manufactured in 1914, although it was never used here at Fort Wadsworth.

How might Fort Wadsworth be different today if a battle had taken place here?