Newport in Newport County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Building a Fortress
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
1. Building a Fortress Marker
U.S. army officer, Joseph G. Totten superintended the construction of Fort Adams beginning in 1825. He oversaw all details of construction until 1838, when he was appointed as the first Chief Engineer of the newly created Army Corps of Engineers.
[ Along Bottom of Marker : ]
2,952,418 Structural Arches
595,900 Outerwork Arches
545,992 in Tunnels
77,850 in Embrasures
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Total Bricks: 4,172, 160
Tunnels:
1,350 SE Outerworks
1,420 Center Outerworks
280 SW Outerworks
50 Tenailies
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Total in Linear Feet: 3,110 or .59 Miles
Construction Materials:
12,516 Tons of Bricks
795,285 Tons of Soil
62,784 Tons of Gravel
48,461 Tons of Granite Blocks
20,650 Tons of Rubble Stone
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Total Weight of Ft. Adams 939,696 Tons of Materials
Erected by Fort Adams State Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1825.
Location. 41° 28.749′
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Regionally, this marker is on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. 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: Life in Fort Adams (within shouting distance of this marker); A Giant Among Forts (within shouting distance of this marker); Defending Narragansett Bay (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Adams Foundation (within shouting distance of this marker); Returning Old Glory 2001 (within shouting distance of this marker); Going Great Guns (within shouting distance of this marker); Erich A. OD. Taylor (within shouting distance of this marker); The Irish Connection to Fort Adams (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport.
More about this marker. A picture of Joseph Totten appears at the right of the marker. Also present are a photo of workers constructing the fort, newspaper articles requesting bricks and sand needed for construction materials, and a picture of a cross section illustrating materials used in the fort and dimensions. This last has a caption of “Building Fort Adams required more manpower than Newport could provide. Recruiters hired laborers from
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
2. Building a Fortress Marker
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
3. Parade Ground in Fort Adams
The Building a Fortress marker can be seen on the left side of the walkway on the parade grounds.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
4. North Entrance of Fort Adams
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 759 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
