Fort at Salisbury Point (Salisbury, Massachusetts)
Salisbury · Massachusetts · American Civil War
History & Significance
Built as part of Massachusetts' coastal defense initiative authorized by the state legislature in March 1863, the Fort at Salisbury Point served as a nine-gun earthwork fortification positioned strategically at the Merrimack River's mouth. The fort mounted three 8-inch Rodman guns, three 42-pounder rifled guns, and three 30-pounder rifled guns—a mix of smoothbore and rifled artillery typical of Civil War era batteries.
From November 1864 through June 1865, the fort was garrisoned by the 20th Unattached Company of Massachusetts militia. The fortification may have occupied the site of the Revolutionary War-era Fort Nichols, though historical documentation of that earlier fort's exact location remains uncertain.
The fort's operational life was brief: relentless coastal erosion washed away the earthwork structure by 1865, eliminating all physical traces. Today the site lies submerged beneath the sands of Salisbury Beach State Reservation.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Civil War coastal defense fort from 1863 at Merrimack River mouth
- Museum exhibits on Massachusetts militia garrison and nine heavy guns
- Earthwork fortification site eroded by beach processes
- Local history centered on 1864–1865 defense operations
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_at_Salisbury_Point
- https://historyofmassachusetts.org/salisbury-massachusetts-history/
- https://historyofmassachusetts.org/massachusetts-in-the-civil-war/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury_Beach_State_Reservation
- https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/ma.html
Other Forts in Massachusetts
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