Harbor Islands- Long Island in Boston in Suffolk County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)

The Mess

Fort Warren-Georges Island

— Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area —

The Mess Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, October 3, 2010

1. The Mess Marker

Inscription. “An army marches on its stomach,” Napoleon famously said---a statement that held true at Fort Warren. Soon after its construction, two unfinished casemates (bunkers) in Bastion C were equipped with tables and benches and pressed into service as mess halls. In the early 1900s one casemate was converted into a bakery; the other held kitchen stores. In the Second World War the bakery was changed back into a kitchen and mess hall. When they could, soldiers livened up their plain rations by hooking fish or shooting waterfowl.

(Inscription above the title) The kitchens kept constantly busy to feed the hundreds of men on Georges Island. In addition to this mess hall, Fort Warren had two others. The chimney holes remain in the walls.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Military.

Location. 42° 19.2′ N, 70° 55.602′ W. Marker is in Boston, Massachusetts, in Suffolk County. It is on Harbor Islands- Long Island. It is on Georges Island. Marker is only accessible by boat. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area:

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Hull MA 02045, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Historic Boston and on the South Shore.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in New England,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bastion C (a few steps from this marker); The "Dark Arch" (within shouting distance of this marker); Enlisted Men (within shouting distance of this marker); Political Prisoners (within shouting distance of this marker); Parade Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); Battery Bartlett (within shouting distance of this marker); Bakery (within shouting distance of this marker); Powder Magazine (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boston.

Photographed by Don Morfe, October 3, 2010

2. The Mess Marker

Photographed by Don Morfe, October 3, 2010

3. The Mess Marker

Welcome to Fort Warren-It was built more than 150 years ago-a fort on an island, a key to the coastal defense of a new nation. It was transformed into a prison during the Civil War, housing hundreds of Confederates within its granite walls, ordinary soldiers and high level politicians alike. It served our nation for more than 85 year as a vigilant sentinel in the harbor. It made over into a park is an extraordinary island setting. Welcome to Fort Warren, on Georges Island. Welcome to the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

Photographed by Don Morfe, October 27, 2010

4. The Mess Marker

National Park Passport Cancellation Stamp

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 13, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 577 times since then and 13 times this year. Last updated on September 9, 2017, by Marc Belanger of Reno, Nevada. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 13, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.