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| Fort Banks | |
|---|---|
| Part of Harbor Defenses of Boston | |
| Winthrop, Massachusetts | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Ft-Banks-AP-c-1940.jpg) The fort as it appeared c. 1940 | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:USA_Massachusetts_location_map.svg)  Fort Banks Location in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates | 42°23′03″N 70°58′49″W / 42.38417°N 70.98028°W |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Massachusetts |
| Controlled by | Town of Winthrop |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | partly buried |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1890s |
| Built by | United States Army |
| In use | 1890s-1947 |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II Cold War |
Fort Banks was a U.S. Coast Artillery fort located in Winthrop, Massachusetts. It served to defend Boston Harbor from enemy attack from the sea and was built in the 1809 during what is known as the Endicott period, a time in which the coast defenses of the United States were seriously expanded and upgraded with new technology.[1] Today, the fort's mortar battery is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The fort was active during World War II as the site of the Harbor Defense Command Post (HDCP) for the Harbor Defenses of Boston,[2] and was greatly expanded with numerous temporary structures (see 1938 map at top left). Because of its campus-like appearance and the fact that it was located on land, close of Boston, the fort was known as "The Country Club" by Coast Artillery soldiers pleased to be posted there. Fort Banks was named for Nathaniel P. Banks, a Civil War general, the 24th Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
- ^ Other Coast Artillery forts defending Boston that were built or modernized during this period include Fort Warren on George's Island, Fort Andrews on Peddocks Island, Fort Strong on Long Island, Fort Dawes on Deer Island, and Fort Ruckman in Nahant.
- ^ The HDCP was located in the central above-ground magazine rooms of Battery Lincoln, just west of the end of the 1896 east-west magazine corridor (see plan below).