Fort Andrews

Not to be confused with Fort Andrew, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA.
Fort Andrews
Part of Harbor Defenses of Boston
Peddock's Island, Massachusetts
At the height of its armament, the fort had 16 M1896 mortars as shown, in 4 pits of four mortars each. In 1910 four of these were sent to the Philippines; these were replaced by four M1908 mortars. Later 6 mortars (2 from each of 3 pits) were removed. This photo most likely depicts Pit A of Battery Cushing at Fort Andrews.
Fort Andrews is located in Massachusetts
Fort Andrews
Fort Andrews
Location in Massachusetts
Coordinates42°18′06″N 70°55′53″W / 42.30167°N 70.93139°W / 42.30167; -70.93139
TypeCoastal Defense, later POW camp
Site information
OwnerBoston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Open to
the public		yes
Site history
Built1898-1904
Built byUnited States Army
In use1901-1947
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
Peddocks Island looking southward, with the late Fort Andrews on the left, in East Head.
The parade ground and the ruined Administration Bldg.
A 2010 image of the barracks building marked "4" in red on the 1921 map.
A 1921 map of Fort Andrews
A 1921 map of Fort Andrews.
A 1932 aerial photo of Fort Andrews
A 1932 Army photo of Fort Andrews.
A photo (c. 1910) of one of the large barracks buildings at the fort--possibly the one shown in the photo above.

Fort Andrews was created in 1897 as part of the Coast (later Harbor) Defenses of Boston, Massachusetts.[1] Construction began in 1898 and the fort was substantially complete by 1904.[2] The fort was named after Major General George Leonard Andrews, an engineer and Civil War commander, who assisted in the construction of nearby Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. It occupies the entire northeast end of Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor, and was originally called the Peddocks Island Military Reservation. Once an active Coast Artillery post, it was manned by hundreds of soldiers and bristled with mortars and guns that controlled the southern approaches to Boston and Quincy Bay. The fort also served as a prisoner-of-war camp for Italian prisoners during World War II, who were employed as laborers following the Italian surrender to the Allies in 1943.[2] Today, the fort is abandoned, and is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, as part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

  1. ^ Construction dates and structure or battery details used in this article come from period documents such as Quartermaster's records and Army Engineers Reports of Completed Works (RCWs), as reproduced from National Archives originals and distributed on DVD by the Coast Defense Study Group, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Fort Andrews at FortWiki.com