Fort Columbus
| Fort Jay Fort Columbus |
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|---|---|
| Part of Governors Island | |
| New York County, New York, USA | |
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| Type | Fortification |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Public - National Park Service |
| Controlled by |
United States of America |
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Fort Jay
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| Coordinates | 40°41′28.89″N 74°0′57.63″W / 40.6913583°N 74.0160083°WCoordinates: 40°41′28.89″N 74°0′57.63″W / 40.6913583°N 74.0160083°W |
| Visitation | 126,000 (2008) |
| NRHP Reference # | 74001268 |
| Added to NRHP | 27 March 1974 |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Good |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1794, 1806, 1833 |
| Built by | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jonathan Williams |
| In use | 1794-1997 |
| Materials | Sandstone, Granite, Brick |
United States of America
Fort Jay, a coastal star fort and the name of the former Army post, is located on Governors Island in New York Harbor. Fort Jay is the oldest defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a member of the Federalist Party, New York governor, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Secretary of State, and one of the "founding fathers" of the United States. It was built in 1794 to defend Upper New York Bay, but has served other purposes. From 1806 to 1904 it was named Fort Columbus, presumably for explorer Christopher Columbus. The National Park Service administers Fort Jay together with Castle Williams as the Governors Island National Monument.
On Governors Island (called Nutten Island from 1664 to 1784, based on Dutch Noten Eylandt for "Nut Island"), Fort Jay is situated on the location of earthworks originally built to defend New York City during the American Revolution. General Israel Putnam constructed the first earthen fortification on this site starting in April 1776, and armed it with eight cannons for the defense of New York Harbor. Additional guns were later emplaced, and on 12 July 1776 the Nutten Island batteries engaged HMS Phoenix and HMS Rose. The American cannons inflicted enough damage to make the British commanders cautious of entering the East River, which later contributed to the success of General George Washington's 29–30 August retreat from Brooklyn into Manhattan after the defeat in the Battle of Brooklyn. The Americans abandoned the earthworks that September, resulting in the eventual British occupation of New York City. The British Army improved the existing earthworks and used the island as a British Royal Navy hospital until they departed on 25 November 1783. At that time Governors Island was conveyed to the State of New York.
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Wikipedia