Middletown Township near Highlands in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Battery Potter
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
1. Battery Potter Marker
The army operated its first and only lift gun battery here from 1893 to 1906. Inside its cavernous galleries, two 12-inch guns could be raised to the surface for firing and lowered for loading and servicing. Concealed and protected from enemy fire, Potters rifled artillery could hammer battleships eight miles away.
Giant boilers fired, building up steam to power the guns hydraulic lifts. Half-ton projectiles brought from the magazine by rail cart are hoisted to the second floor loading area. The elevators raise the guns through the holes in the roof to the firing position. Total time for loading, ascending, firing and descending averaged more than six minutes. This was no match for the 30-second firing style of the disappearing guns installed in 1907 at nearby Battery Granger.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Military. A significant historical year for this entry is 1893.
Location. 40° 28.002′ N, 74° 0.143′ W. Marker is near Highlands, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. It is in Middletown Township. It is on South Bragg Drive, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation
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Regionally, this marker is in New Jersey’s Central Jersey, specifically on the Jersey Shore, and in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. 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 New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Hancock Officers Club (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Master Mechanics Quarters (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battery Granger (approx. 0.2 miles away); The World War II Years (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mule Barn (approx. 0.2 miles away); Barracks, School, Headquarters (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fire House Number 1 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hasty Additions in Wartime (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Highlands.
More about this marker. The upper left of the marker features a drawing of Battery Potter. The bottom of the marker features a layout of the interior of the battery, showing the location of the big gun.
Also see . . . Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit. National Park Planner website entry (Submitted on December 22, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
2. Battery Potter Marker
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
3. Marker in Fort Hancock
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
4. Entrance to Battery Potter
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
5. Battery Potter Shells
These 1000 pound projectiles are stored near the entrance to the battery.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,274 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 24, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
