Fort Rodman
Fort Taber District | |
Location | New Bedford, Massachusetts |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°35′35″N 70°54′05″W / 41.59306°N 70.90139°W |
Built | 1861 |
Architect | Robert E. Lee, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
Architectural style | Third System fortification |
NRHP reference No. | 73001954 [1] |
Added to NRHP | February 8, 1973 |
Fort Taber District or the Fort at Clark's Point is a historic American Civil War-era military fort on Wharf Road within the former Fort Rodman Military Reservation in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The fort is now part of Fort Taber Park, a 47-acre town park located at Clark's Point. Fort Taber was an earthwork built nearby with city resources and garrisoned 1861-1863 until Fort Rodman was ready for service.
Fort Taber
After the Civil War began in April 1861, it was apparent that the Fort at Clark's Point was still years from completion. Fort Taber, a small earthwork with six cannons, was built nearby with city resources, and named after New Bedford's mayor during that period.[2] It provided a temporary defense until the stone fort was garrisoned in 1863. Fort Taber is marked by a stone outline today, directly behind the stone fort. It was noted at the time that the stone fort's presence interfered with effective fire from Fort Taber, and a battery of field artillery was emplaced east of Fort Taber.[3][4] The Fort Taber name was unofficially used to refer to the Fort at Clark's Point for many years, even by the garrison in letters home, and is used to refer to the stone fort in some recent references.[5]
Fort Rodman
Civil War era
Also known as the Old Stone Fort, Fort Rodman (known as "Fort at Clark's Point" until 1898) began construction in 1857 under the
The Fort Rodman/Fort Taber Miliary Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays between 1:00pm and 4:00pm. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Endicott period
With new batteries being constructed under the
The Endicott period batteries at Fort Rodman were built 1898-1902, with other batteries added later as follows:[3][6]
Name | No. of guns | Gun type | Carriage type | Years active |
---|---|---|---|---|
Walcott | 1 | 8-inch gun M1888 | disappearing M1896 | 1899-1942 |
Barton | 1 | 8-inch gun M1888 | disappearing M1896 | 1899-1942 |
Cross | 2 | 5-inch gun M1900 |
pedestal M1903 | 1902-1920 |
Craig | 2 | 3-inch gun M1898 |
masking parapet M1898 |
1902-1920 |
Gaston | 2 | 3-inch gun M1898 | masking parapet M1898 | 1902-1920 |
Milliken | 2 | 12-inch gun M1895 | M1917 long-range barbette | 1921-1946 |
Unnamed | 2 | 155 mm gun M1918 |
Towed on Panama mounts | 1938-1945 |
Battery Walcott was named for William H. Walcott of the
World War I through World War II
After the
In 1920 the
Battery Milliken was built 1917-1921 as part of a general upgrade of the Coast Artillery with existing 12-inch M1895 guns on new long-range carriages, initially in open mounts.[3] Compared with disappearing carriages, this increased the range of this type of gun from 18,400 yards (16,800 m) to 30,100 yards (27,500 m).[7] This effectively replaced the fort's previous 8-inch guns, but those were not removed until World War II.[3] Battery Milliken housed the post switchboard, and during World War II this was operated by the Women's Army Corps, for which the latrines were re-arranged.
In 1925 the Coast Defenses of New Bedford were renamed the Harbor Defenses of New Bedford, as were all similar commands.[8]
In 1938 a battery of two
In 1946, with the war over, Fort Rodman was disarmed and subsequently turned over to the Commonwealth.
Associated batteries
Several additional small-caliber batteries defended New Bedford and
Defending the passage to New Bedford between Dartmouth and
Protecting the southern entrance to the Cape Cod Canal was a two-gun 155 mm battery on Panama mounts, replaced in 1943 by AMTB 934, at Butler Point Military Reservation in Marion.[3][4]
Present
The fort's guns were all scrapped by 1948. The fort grounds and garrison buildings became a military reserve center, and eventually a wastewater treatment plant was built on part of the site. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (Southeastern Massachusetts University prior to 1991) occupies some of the fort's buildings. The reserve center closed in the 1970s. Today most of the former fort is a public park, but as of 2016 the stone fort and gun batteries are fenced off, and the Endicott batteries are overgrown. The stone fort has occasionally been opened for special events.
Lighthouse
The Clarks Point Light stands on the parapet of the fort. Originally established as a freestanding tower, it was moved to the fort in 1869 because the fort's walls obscured the beacon from some angles. it was deactivated in 1898, but was relit in 2001 by the city as a private aid to navigation.
Fort Taber Historical Association Museum
The Fort Taber Historical Association Museum is located at Fort Taber Park, and features a miniature model of the fort, uniforms from different eras during the fort's active use, photos and military memorabilia. It is operated by the Fort Taber/Fort Rodman Historical Association and opened in 2004.
Park amenities
The park includes several gun batteries, and American Revolution, American Civil War, and World War II re-enactments are held in the park. The stone fort and 20th-century batteries are fenced off but can be viewed.
A World War II
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New Bedford, Massachusetts
- Seacoast defense in the United States
- United States Army Coast Artillery Corps
- List of coastal fortifications of the United States
- List of military installations in Massachusetts
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ a b Fort Taber Park at New Bedford city website Archived 2013-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fort Rodman article at FortWiki.com
- ^ a b c d e Fort Taber at NorthAmericanForts.com
- ^ a b Weaver, pp. 115–120
- ^ a b c d Berhow, p. 206
- ^ Berhow, p. 61
- ^ Coast Artillery Organization: A Brief Overview at the Coast Defense Study Group website
- ^ Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, 1917-1950, Coast Defense Journal, vol. 23, issue 2, p. 15
- ^ Stanton, pp. 459, 484
- Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2015). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide (Third ed.). McLean, Virginia: CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-3-9.
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond (1979). Seacoast Fortifications of the United States. Annapolis: Leeward Publications. ISBN 978-0-929521-11-4.
- Stanton, Shelby L. (1991). World War II Order of Battle. Galahad Books. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.
- Weaver II, John R. (2018). A Legacy in Brick and Stone: American Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, 1816-1867, 2nd Ed. McLean, VA: Redoubt Press. ISBN 978-1-7323916-1-1.
External links
- Fort Taber Park - City of New Bedford
- Fort Taber/Fort Rodman Park at Destination New Bedford
- Fort Taber/Fort Rodman Historical Association
- List of all US coastal forts and batteries at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
- FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts
- NorthAmericanForts.com, lists most US forts