Fort William and Mary

Fort Constitution
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	New Castle, New Hampshire
Coordinates	43°04′17″N 70°42′34″W / 43.0715°N 70.7095°W / 43.0715; -70.7095
Built	Early 17th century
NRHP reference No.	73000169[1]
Added to NRHP	July 09, 1973

Fort William and Mary was a colonial-era fortification in Great Britain's worldwide system of defenses, defended by soldiers of the Province of New Hampshire who reported directly to the royal governor. The fort, originally known as "The Castle," was situated on the island of New Castle, New Hampshire, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River estuary. It was renamed Fort William and Mary circa 1692, after the accession of the monarchs William III and Mary II to the British throne.^[2] It was captured by Patriot forces, recaptured, and later abandoned by the British in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). The fort was renamed Fort Constitution in 1808 following rebuilding, in light of increasing hostilities with the British again, especially from its Royal Navy, resulting in the subsequent War of 1812. The fort was further rebuilt and expanded through 1899, following the Spanish-American War. It served actively through the first half of the 20th century to World War II.^[3]