Fort Zoutman
| Fort Zoutman | |
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| Oranjestad, Aruba | |
.JPG)
Willem III Tower at the west entrance of the fort
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.svg)
 Fort Zoutman
Fort Zoutman
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| Coordinates | 12°31′04″N 70°02′09″W / 12.5178°N 70.0357°W |
| Type | Fortification |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Aruba |
| Controlled by | Fundacion Museo Arubano |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Restored tourist attraction and museum |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1796-1798 (fort) 1866-1868 (tower) |
| Built by | Johan Rudolf Lauffer, acting governor (fort) J.H. Ferguson, lieutenant governor (tower) |
| Materials | Stone, concrete coral |
| Battles/wars | Repelled a British attack in 1799 (during the War of the Second Coalition) |
Fort Zoutman (Dutch pronunciation: [fɔrt ˈsʌutmɑn]) is a military fortification at Oranjestad, Aruba. Built in 1798 by the Dutch army, it is the oldest structure on the island of Aruba. The Willem III Tower was added to the west side of the fort in 1868. The fort and tower were restored and re-opened in 1983 as the Historical Museum of Aruba.
The Dutch first settled Paardenbaai (English: Bay of Horses) on the island of Aruba as an intermediate harbor between Curaçao and Venezuela. In 1796, a Comité Militaire (English: Army Committee) was established in Curaçao under acting governor Johan Rudolf Lauffer to build fortifications on the islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire to defend against pirates and other enemies. The fort on Aruba was named after Dutch Rear Admiral Johan Arnold Zoutman who fought in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War and the American Revolutionary War, though he had never been to the island. It was completed in 1798 at what was then the shoreline of the island, and was initially armed with four cannons. The surrounding area developed through economic growth into the capital city of Oranjestad.
Renovation of the fort began in 1826 under Commander Simon Plats who found it to be in poor shape. The fort was not garrisoned from 1830 to 1834. While occupied by a small colonial constabulary brigade in 1859, prison cells were constructed against the eastern and western walls, eliminating some of the embrasures and gun ports. The eastern cells were replaced with concrete units in 1936. The present day walls date back to 1936, and 31 of as many as 35 gun ports were counted in the walls prior to the fort's most recent restoration in 1974.
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