Fort Jay

Fort Jay. Governors Island National Monument. , Since the American Revolution, there have been three different fortifications at this location., The first was hastily constructed in April 1776 when General George Washington ordered that earthen mounds and cannons be placed here to help protect New York City from invasion by the British Navy. The British eventually captured the city and the island in September 1776 and occupied both until 1783, using Governors Island as a military hospital., The earthworks were rebuilt in the 1790s with volunteer labor from the citizens of New York City when there was a threat of was with France. The gatehouse and the eagle statue on top may date back to that time., From 1805 to 1809, while U.S. Army Chief Engineer Johnathan Williams was rebuilding Castle Williams, he revamped Fort Jay by replacing the earthworks with the granite and brick you see today., The barracks were the last significant addition to the fort when they were constructed during the 1830s. The barracks housed soldiers and bachelor officers for almost a century until they were remodeled into townhouse- style apartments for junior officers and their families in the 1930s. They were used as family housing until 1996 when the U.S. Coast Guard left Governors Island., Main illustration – “Soldiers posing for the camera at Fort Jay, about 1890.”