Fort Stevens was a fort on Hallett's Point, Queens, along the East River, constructed in 1814. The fort included a blockhouse on Mill Rock in the River at Hell Gate. Plans from February 1776 showed earlier forts on both sides of the East River including opposite Fort Stevens at Horn's Hook Battery.[1]
| Fort Stevens | |
|---|---|
| Part of Fortifications of NYC during the War of 1812 | |
| Hell Gate, New York City in United States | |
 US Army Corps of Engineers outline of Fort Stevens from 1814 | |
| Coordinates | 40°46′40″N 73°56′5″W / 40.77778°N 73.93472°W |
| Type | Artillery battery |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1814 |
| Built for | War of 1812 |
| In use | Until 1815 |
| Fate | Abandoned |
| Demolished | 1982 (last building) |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Ebenezer Stevens |
History
edit
Prior to the construction of the fort the location was used by the British during the American revolution as a battery to bombard New York City after the battle of long island.[2] The fort itself was named after Ebenezer Stevens, its only commander.[3] Stevens, a revolutionary general in service to George Washington came out of retirement during the War of 1812 with the fort being built during the war to protect the east river from a prospective British invasion.[4] The fort's cornerstone was laid by then mayor De Witt Clinton and the fort was designed to be temporary and consisted of 12 guns.[5][6]
Unlike other temporary forts from the time which where made of timber Fort Stevens was made of stone, however, due to the fort's low lying location right on the water of the East River, its practical defense capabilities were low as the fort was designed to thwart one-off raiders. Behind the fort, on the hill overlooking it, was another defensive structure, Castle Bogardus or "Halletts Point Tower", which would've protected the fort from a ground assault.[7][6]
The fort would be decommissioned after the war in 1815 when the British threat passed.[5] By 1836 Hallett’s Cove Village a small settlement of about 20 to 30 dwellings was built around the abandoned fort including an Episcopalian church.[6] This village would eventually develop into the Astoria neighborhood of Queens.[4]
Part of the fort remained in operation as a light house complete with a lighthouse keeper's residence until 1982 when the last building of the fort had been demolished.[3][4] Today the site of the fort is home to Whitey Ford Field, a park managed by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation named after Whitey Ford.[4] A navigational beacon continues to guide ships at the edge of the field.[3]
The former site of the fort, and the current baseball field, is the subject to redevelopment debates, with a 2,400 unit apartment complex being built adjacent to the site, and plans for a ferry service and major refurbishment at the field.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Forts". New York State Military Museum. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ Antos, Jason D. (1 December 2014). "Astoria Cove Has Rocky History". Queens Scene. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Marzlock, Ron (10 August 2017). "A guiding light in Qns.extinguished by the LPC". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Old Astoria". Old Astoria Neighborhood Association. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ a b "New York City II". northamericanforts. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Bergoffen, Celia J. (9 July 2013). "Astoria Cove Phase IA Archaeological Assessment" (PDF). New York City. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Hoffman and Swinburne Islands". Roosevelt Island Historical Society. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ Murray, Christian (27 November 2017). "Local Group Forms with Big Plans for Field on Hallets Point". Astoria Post. Retrieved 22 October 2024.