Fort Andrew

This article is about the fort in Plymouth, Massachusetts. For the fort on Peddocks Island, Boston, Massachusetts, see Fort Andrews.

Fort Andrew was a six-gun Patriot fort also known as Gurnet Fort. Once located at Gurnet Point, it was rebuilt in 1808, and again in 1863 and was renamed. It became a federal fort in 1869. The reservation was sold in 1926 and became private property. A World War II fire-control tower was built on the parapet of the old fort. The Plymouth (Gurnet Point) Lighthouse is also here.

Development

Through two separate transactions, one in 1808 and another in 1870, the government acquired the 11.9 acres (48,000 m²) that constituted Fort Andrew. The site, which protected Plymouth Harbor, is located at the extreme end of Duxbury Beach (Gurnet Point), approximately 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Boston. In 1927, the War Department transferred the property to the U.S. Department of Treasury for use as a US Coast Guard Station. The use of the site prior to the government's acquisition is unknown, but it currently contains a residential area, a Coast Guard facility, and a lighthouse.

Researchers uncovered no information pertaining to the facilities and activities of Fort Andrew prior to the Civil War. In 1863, the military rebuilt the fort and placed seven coastal defense weapons at Fort Andrew. By 30 June 1867, the fort possessed an additional light field piece installed on a temporary firing platform, which was removed by April 1880. A records search uncovered no information pertaining to the operation of the fort after 1880. The INPR indicates that the Department of Treasury acquired the land in 1927, ending its use by the War Department, except for a 1.7-acre (6,900 m²) tract that the Department of Defense used for a fire control station (Site No. D01MA0510).

Armament

The seven coastal defense guns installed during the Civil War consisted of four eight-inch (203 mm) smooth bore, and three 32-pound rifled pieces. Documents describe the eighth piece installed at Fort Andrew as a "light field piece." Three earth-covered structures pertained to the storage of ordnance at the site, two magazines and a filling room. Documents located by the research team did not mention the use of any CWM at this site.

References

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville Center PROJECT FACT SHEET FORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITES (FUDS)

External links

• Pilgrim Hall Museum
• Plymouth memories of an octogenarian
• A Guide to Historic Plymouth