Governors Island

Aerial view of Fort Winthrop on Governor's Island

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Inner Harbor

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

MANAGED BY:

Massachusetts Port Authority.

Formerly 72 acres, Governors Island stood separated from the mainland at about 2 miles away from Long Wharf. Similar with many islands in Boston Harbor, Indigenous people likely accessed Governors Island prior to European colonization.  

In early colonial history, the island was named Conant’s Island, after Roger Conant, a citizen in Hull. In 1632, the island was granted to Governor John Winthrop where he planted some of the first apple and pear trees. He also made efforts to plant other fruits, such as grapes and plums.  

Governors Island became a site for coastal defense after a bill passed in 1744 called for the installation of a block house and 2-gun batteries on the island. In 1808, the federal government purchased 7 acres on Governors Island from James Winthrop. On the summit, they constructed an enclosed eight-pointed star fort constructed of stone. A demilune (crescent shaped structure which served a first line of defense), and south point batteries were also added along the water’s edge. The fort on Governors Island was originally named Fort Warren, after Doctor and General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill. However, the name was transferred to a new Fort Warren on Georges Island in 1833. The fort on Governors Island was later renamed Fort Winthrop. 

By 1846, the United States Government acquired the remaining acreage of Governor’s Island. Fort Winthrop underwent some modifications, including building brick and granite structures as well as adding a seawall to prevent further erosion. Batteries were also expanded, and 15-inch guns were added to the fort. 

In 1880, Fort Winthrop returned to caretaking status. Following a magazine explosion in 1902, the military abandoned the fort in 1905. By 1946, Fort Winthrop was destroyed, and Governors Island was absorbed into Logan Airport to make room for runway expansion. 

Footnotes: 

1. Edward Snow, The Islands of Boston Harbor (Carlisle, MA: Commonwealth Editions, 2002), 108. 

2. Moses Foster Sweetser, King’s Handbook of Boston Harbor (Cambridge, MA: Moses King, 1883), 165. 

3. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 1: Historical Overview, 89-90; Snow, The Islands of Boston Harbor , 111-12. 

4.  Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report, Volume 1: Historical Overview, 90-92. 

5.  Snow, The Islands of Boston Harbor, 114-15; Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report, Volume 1: Historical Overview, 99.