Fort Anne (Newport, Rhode Island)

Newport · Rhode Island · War of Spanish Succession

Quick BriefAn earthen fort was built on Goat Island in 1703 during the War of Spanish Succession, and it was named "Fort Anne" after the reigning Queen Anne. The fort with 12 guns lasted until 1724. In 1738, a stone fort was built and renamed Fort George after King George II. The site would undergo several name changes through the American Revolution before eventually becoming Fort Wolcott.

Coastal defense

History & Significance

Goat Island is a small island in Narragansett Bay and is part of the city of Newport, Rhode Island, connected to the Easton's Point neighborhood via a causeway bridge. The earliest colonial fortifications on Goat Island consisted of an earthen battery known as Fort Anne, constructed around 1703 during the War of the Spanish Succession to safeguard Newport Harbor from potential European naval threats and piracy.

The fort with 12 guns lasted until 1724, when the fort returned to service under a new name, Fort George after King George II of Great Britain. In 1738, a stone fort was built and renamed Fort George after King George II.

On Friday, July 19, 1723, twenty-six pirates were buried on the north end of Goat Island, on the shore, between high and low water mark. The fortification continued to evolve through the colonial and revolutionary periods.

In 1764, Newporters took over Fort George and fired shots at HMS St. John, a Royal Navy schooner, under orders from the governor of Rhode Island and the General Assembly. In 1784 the fort on Goat Island was repaired and renamed Fort Washington after George Washington, and in 1794, Newport sold Goat Island to the federal government for $1,500 to maintain a military fort to defend Newport Harbor. The site remained in military use for over a century afterward.