Fort Ward (Washington)
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Fort Ward Historic District
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Battery Vinton, 2013
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| Nearest city | Bainbridge Island, Washington |
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| Coordinates | 47°34′52″N 122°31′42″W / 47.58111°N 122.52833°WCoordinates: 47°34′52″N 122°31′42″W / 47.58111°N 122.52833°W |
| Area | 166 acres (67 ha) |
| NRHP Reference # |
78002759 |
| Added to NRHP | January 12, 1978 April 12, 1996 (boundary increase) |
78002759
96000415 (boundary increase)
Fort Ward is a former United States Army coastal artillery fort, and later, a Navy installation located on the southwest side of Bainbridge Island, Washington, along Rich Passage.
During the 1880s, the Endicott Board, convened by Secretary of War William C. Endicott made sweeping recommendations for new or upgraded coastal defense installations and weapons systems. As the 20th century approached, American military strategists realized that heavy, fixed artillery required a very different training program than lighter, mobile field artillery.
Fort Ward was originally known as Beans Point and was established in 1890 as one of several U.S. Army Coastal Artillery Corps installations, including Fort Flagler, Fort Casey and Fort Worden, built to defend Puget Sound from enemy warships. Its primary objective was to protect the nearby Bremerton Naval Shipyard.
In 1903, the U.S. Army officially designated Beans Point as a seacoast fort and named it Fort Ward in honor of Colonel George H. Ward. Activity in and around the fort continued as new buildings were constructed and new troops arrived.
The coastal artillery batteries located at Fort Ward were:
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Wikipedia