| Fort Strong | |
|---|---|
| Part of Harbor Defenses of Boston | |
| Long Island, Massachusetts | |
 A 10-inch disappearing gun, similar to those of Batteries Hitchcock and Ward. | |
  Fort Strong Location in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates | 42°19′47.96″N 70°57′21.53″W / 42.3299889°N 70.9559806°W |
| Type | Coastal Defense |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Massachusetts |
| Controlled by | City of Boston |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1899 |
| Built by | United States Army |
| In use | 1899-1961 |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II Cold War |
Fort Strong is a former U.S. Army Coast Artillery fort that occupied the northern third of Long Island in Boston Harbor. The island had a training camp during the American Civil War, and a gun battery was built there in the 1870s. The fort was built in 1893-1906 during the Endicott period of expansion in U.S. coast defense, and was part of the Coast (later Harbor) Defenses of Boston. Formerly, it was also known as Long Island Military Reservation. Before World War I, a large station for handling submarine mines was added to the fort's defenses. Prior to World War I the fort was probably manned by over 1,000 soldiers. During World War II, two batteries of 3-inch guns (Basinger and Stevens) defended channel minefields, but the big guns and other 3-inch batteries (except for the AA guns) were decommissioned. Declared surplus in 1947, the fort served as a Nike missile site until 1961, and was redeveloped in 2005-2009 for a children's summer camp and later a homeless shelter.[1] However, in 2014 the island's bridge was demolished due to safety concerns, and all activity ended.[2][3]
- ^ The camp was designed to serve youth from the City of Boston and straddled the former parade ground of the fort. Building the camp involved demolition of almost all the wooden structures of the fort and raised the elevation of the former parade ground by several feet.
- ^ "Mayor Walsh provides update on the Long Island Bridge". The Official Website of the City of Boston. November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ Abel, David, "On Long Island, haunting signs of a hasty departure: The pieces left behind at island’s shelters highlight uncertainty", The Boston Globe, October 28, 2014