Fort Gibson (Ellis Island, New York Harbor, New York)
Ellis Island, New York Harbor · New York · War of 1812
History & Significance
In response to military tensions between the United States, Britain, and France in the mid-1790s, the city deeded land on Ellis Island to the state for public defense purposes on April 21, 1794. A crescent-shaped structure of wood and sod was built in 1794 on the island's shoreline.
The federal government acquired Ellis Island on June 30, 1808, for $10,000. Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams, placed in charge of New York Harbor defenses, proposed new fortifications as part of the Second System.
The stone and brick fort was rebuilt between 1807 and 1811, and was armed with thirteen cannons and garrisoned 182 soldiers. Named Fort Gibson in 1814 to honor Colonel James Gibson, killed at the Siege of Fort Erie, the fort served as a garrison for American troops and as a prisoner-of-war camp for British prisoners during the War of 1812 but was not attacked.
After the war, the fort declined under the joint Army-Navy administration until 1841, when the Army demoted it to an artillery battery and stopped garrisoning it. By 1854, Battery Gibson contained an 11-gun battery, three naval magazines, and auxiliary structures.
In 1890, the federal government moved the powder magazines to Fort Wadsworth and converted Ellis Island into a federal immigration station. Remnants of Fort Gibson's lower walls remain visible to the public.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- War of 1812–era coastal artillery fortification on Ellis Island
- Historic military barracks and prisoner-of-war detention structures
- Views of New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline
- Immigration station heritage overlaid on earlier military uses
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island
- https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/new-york-national-parks/statue-of-liberty-national-monument-park-at-a-glance/statue-of-liberty-national-monument-visiting-ellis-island/statue-of-liberty-national-monument-fort-gibson/
- https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-wood-fort-gibson.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/places/000/fort-gibson.htm
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=49298
- https://fortwiki.com/Fort_Gibson_(2)
- https://migrationmemorials.trinity.duke.edu/items/fort-gibson-other-ellis-island-story.html