Location Newport, Rhode Island NRHP Reference # 01001158 Area 7 ha Architect Louis de Tousard | Built 1780 Opened 1780 Added to NRHP 22 October 2001 | |
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MPS Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR Similar Rose Island Light, Fort Wetherill, Dutch Island, Fort Adams, Fort Getty | ||
The Fort Hamilton Historic District is a historic district including all of Rose Island in Newport, Rhode Island. The district includes Rose Island Light and an early U.S. military fortification designed in part by Major Louis de Tousard. The fort was named after Alexander Hamilton.
History
The earliest fortifications on Rose Island were built in 1780 during the American Revolutionary War around the time of the Battle of Rhode Island. Later construction took place from 1798 to 1801 but was left largely unfinished except for a long barracks building used by the U.S. Infantry. The Secretary of War's report on fortifications for December 1811 describes Fort Hamilton as "a regular unfinished work of masonry of four bastions, two of which are circular. (The fort can house) 300 men". In the 19th century Fort Hamilton was used as a quarantine station for the port of Newport, and the island served as a popular picnic destination. Starting in the late 19th century, the island became part of the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, and during World War I and World War II the fort was used for munitions storage by the U.S. Navy as it conducted torpedo tests, also using facilities on nearby Goat Island and Gould Island. During World War II anti-aircraft guns were also added to the island. The fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.