Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower halves, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay and Manhattan beyond. Prior to closing in 1994 it claimed to be the longest continually garrisoned military installation in the United States. It comprises several fortifications, including Fort Tompkins and Battery Weed and was given its present name in 1865 to honor Brigadier General James Wadsworth, who had been killed in the Battle of the Wilderness during the Civil War. Fort Wadsworth is now part of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area, maintained by the National Park Service.
Battery Weed at Fort Wadsworth
A view of Fort Wadsworth from across the Narrows by Seth Eastman, commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1870. Fort Richmond/Battery Weed is near the water, and Fort Tompkins is on the hill.
Battery Weed at Fort Wadsworth (foreground) on the Narrows, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Unidentified battery at Fort Wadsworth circa 1917
Staten Island is the southernmost borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southern most point of New York. The borough is separated from the adjacent state of New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and from the rest of New York by New York Bay. With a population of 495,747 in the 2020 Census, Staten Island is the least populated New York City borough but the third largest in land area at 58.5 sq mi (152 km2); it is also the least densely populated and most suburban borough in the city.
Image: Look out point (cropped)
Image: Staten Island Zoo Entrance
Image: Spirit of America Staten Island Ferry
Image: College of Staten Island Campus (6560390369)