Historic Fort Scammell-- Part 2

Fort Scammell was built of stone, brick and earth and initially mounted 15 guns and a 10-inch mortar.  It was a semi-circular battery of masonry with a wooden blockhouse protecting the rear and mounting six guns.

In the 1840s, as part of the national third system of fortifications, it was modernized by extending its walls to anchor a larger area.  Thomas Lincoln Casey, an Army engineer known for his work on the Washington monument, completely rebuilt the fort in 1862 during the Civil War.

It was not rearmed during the Spanish-American War

Two emplacements for anti-aircraft guns were added in 1917.

The island became an immigrant quarantine station in 1907 and operated as such until 1937 when it was considered the "Ellis Island of the North."

--Brock-Perry