History of Fort Wadsworth Tricentenary 1663-1963

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For 300 years Fort Wadsworth has looked to the sea. Its guns were trained on the Narrows, defending the approaches to New York Harbor and the vast industrial complex that lies at the water's edge. This defensive mission was basically the same in 1636, when a couple of men guarded the first tiny Dutch blockhouse fort, as it was three centuries later, when several hundred soldiers manned the huge seacoast guns on the heights, and the anti-aircraft artillery of Post World War II period. Geography pre-destined for Fort Wadsworth a vital military role. Situated high on the wooded bluffs overlooking the Narrows, control of the fort assured its master strategic control of the New York area. This basic principle has helped Fort Wadsworth become the oldest continuously manned position in the United States. The Indians grasped the principle in the early days of colonization when, from a lookout point on the fort's present site, they watched Henry Hudson's "Half Moon" sail into New York Harbor. It was also borne in mind by the Dutch, English, and American governments, all of whom garrisoned troops here.