This was my first time at Fort Wetherill and I happened to be there for my youngest daughters senior pictures. To be honest, I knew nothing about the history of the Fort. When I drove up and stepped out of the car, I was in awe! Knowing that this was once an active fort and seeing how it is today. Yes, it’s in ruins and graffiti covered but you can still see it’s former glory and feel the history.
Fort Wetherill is located in Jamestown Rhode Island. It sits upon 100-foot granite cliffs over looking Narragansett Bay. It was a former coastal defense battery and training camp. The history of the Fort goes back to the American Revolutionary War when it was called Fort Dumpling because of the odd shaped outcroppings. It was a defensive insulation built in 1799 to 1800. It was used to support Fort Adams which is across the water way. In 1898 Fort Dumpling was torn down to make away for a new modern defense. In 1885 Congress directed William C Endicott to build a new coastal defense along the Atlantic. In 1904, Fort Dumpling was renamed Fort Wetherill named after Captain Alexander M. Wetherill.
To read more about the wonderful history about this beautiful fort go to Fort Wetherill History.
Deneen Azzolino
Please enjoy the photography:
