- Fort Wetherill
Infobox_nrhp | name =Fort Dumpling Site
nrhp_type =
caption =
location=Jamestown, Rhode Island
locmapin = Rhode Island
area =
built =1798
architect=
architecture=
added =March 16 ,1972
governing_body = GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
refnum=72000021cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service] Infobox Military Structure
name=Fort Wetherill
location=Jamestown, Rhode Island
caption=
type=Coast Artillery Post
built=ca.1800 ;1941
materials=reinforced concrete
used=1800 -1945
controlledby=United States
garrison=
commanders=Col. Earl C. Webster
battles=Fort Wetherill State Park is a 51 acre recreational park at the site of a former United States Military strategic defense installation in
Jamestown, Rhode Island . The fort structure is positioned at the southernmost tip ofConanicut Island atop high granite cliffs, overlooking the entrance toNarragansett Bay .Historically, Fort Wetherill served as a key location of coastal defense dating back to the American Revolution. The first military battery was constructed at the site of Dumpling Rock, a position that was occupied by the British for various periods of time during the Revolutionary War. The British abandoned the position at Dumpling Rock in 1779, and the fort retained the name of Fort Dumpling for the period up until the
Spanish American War .The fort saw little action until 1899, when the U.S. government purchased additional land and expanded the fort in preparation for coastal defense during the Spanish American War. The new military battery was named Fort Wetherill for Capt. Alexander Macom Wetherill, a Jamestown native who was killed in action during the war at the
Battle of San Juan Hill . Fort Wetherill was garrisoned from this period throughWorld War I , after which time it was transfered to caretaker status.Prior to
World War II , construction began on the concrete military defense structure that stands today. Fort Wetherill was reactivated by the U.S. Military in 1940 to serve once again as a national defense position, new guns were installed and new barracks were built to house the 243rd Regiment and its 1,200 soldiers. The fort functioned in the year before the war primarily as a military training facility, and after the war as a training center for German prisoners of war. In 1946, the U.S. military ceased operations at Fort Wetherill, and for all intents and purposes the site remained abandoned for the quarter century that followed.The
State of Rhode Island officially acquired the fort on August 16, 1972, and reconfigured the site for public use as a state park. The park continues to attract visitors with a variety of modern recreational uses. The property offers walking trails through wooded areas and along the rocky coast, and is a popular destination for scuba diving.Most notably, the spectacular ocean views from Fort Wetherill remain a draw with seasonal visitors who come to observe special events such as the
Tall Ships Festival and annual fireworks displays from atop the old fort.External links
* [http://www.riparks.com/fortweth.htm Fort Wetherill State Park website]
* [http://www.riparks.com/fortwetherillhistory.htm History of the Fort]References
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