Overlooking Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island is a massive stone fort that was once one of the premier coastal fortifications in the United States: Fort Adams. Named for our 2nd President, John Adams, this fort never experienced combat; however, it served as an active military installation for over 100 years. Today, Fort Adams is open to the public and provides a unique look into the history and advancement of military technology and the everyday lives of the men who were stationed there.
History
During the first few decades of America’s existence, the building of coastal fortifications along the eastern seaboard was a priority. Intentionally placed at important geographical strong points, these forts would protect key port cities and ideally make up for the small (nearly nonexistent) United States Navy. Newport, Rhode Island was a natural location to build one of the first fortifications (as part of the first coastal defense system), which would protect the city and the entrance to Narragansett Bay.
Construction on multiple batteries and fortifications around Narragansett Bay began in 1790s, all under the supervision of French Major Louis de Tousard (he served in America during the American Revolution and actually participated in the Battle of Rhode Island, during which he received a grievous wound that ultimately led to him losing an arm). One of the primary fortifications was constructed on a spit of land overlooking Newport Harbor and the East Passage. On July 4, 1799, this site was christened Fort Adams, in honor of President John Adams.
In the coming years, Fort Adams received modifications and additions, to include in 1809 (by that point, the fort bristled with 17 cannon). During the War of 1812, Wood’s State Corps of Rhode Island Militiamen manned Fort Adams; however, the British Navy never made an attempt to enter Narragansett Bay and Fort Adams was not tested in battle. In the wake of the War of 1812, it was clear that many of the coastal fortifications along the east coast were inadequate and needed to be repaired or totally replaced- thus was the fate of the first Fort Adams.
In the mid-1820s, it was declared that the existing Fort Adams was essentially “useless” and plans for a new fortification went into motion. In 1824, Lieutenant Andrew Talcott oversaw the beginnings of a new construction as part of the third coastal defense system. Then in August 1825, Colonel Joseph Totten came to Newport to oversee the construction of the new and improved Fort Adams. This was actually quite a big deal, because Totten was one of the best American military engineers of his day and had also assisted in designing the third coastal defense system for the country. The fort was designed in an irregular pentagon shape, with earth-filled ramparts, and with the two water-facing sides constructed with one or two-level casemates. For building materials, local shale, Maine granite, and millions of locally-made bricks were used.
By 1854, Fort Adams was armed with all smoothbore weapons, to include 100 32-pounder seacoast guns, 57 24-pounder seacoast guns, and 43 24-pounder flank howitzers. An 1855 inventory of the guns within the “deadly” west wall (which was three tiers and faced the East Passage) shows that the top tier had seven 8-inch columbiads and 33 8-inch S.C. howitzers, the center tier had 34 32-pounders, three 8-inch columbiads, and three 24-pounders, and the bottom tier had 34 42-pounders and three 8-inch columbiads. Remarkably, construction on the massive stone Fort Adams lasted (intermittently) for decades and it was not completed until 1857.
When the American Civil War broke out with the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861, it was clear that coastal fortifications would play a significant role in the war. Accordingly, Fort Adams was re-armed with improved weaponry (Rodman guns), to include 10-inch cannon in the casemates and 15-inch cannon in open batteries. Similar to the War of 1812, Fort Adams was never utilized in combat during the Civil War (although the U.S. Nav Academy did move to Newport from Annapolis during the war years).
Technological advancements and lessons learned during the Civil War proved that stone fortifications such as Fort Adams were not effective, which led to the long and slow decline of such forts. To make matters worse, a November 1887 naval exercise in Newport, which included multiple US Navy ships forcibly sailing past Fort Adams, showed the ineffectiveness of the fort’s guns. Regardless, the turn of the 20th-century brought new and improved artillery to Fort Adams to bolster its capabilities.
Fort Adams remained an active military site throughout the early to mid-1900s and continued to receive some updates in military technology and weaponry; however, it was clear that the fort’s usefulness had long since passed. In between WWI and WWII, Fort Adams was often called the “country club of the army,” because the men stationed there was often centered around leisure, entertainment (there were many movie nights), and social events. Fort Adams experienced its last ramp-up during WWII, when improved anti-aircraft guns (90mm and 40mm) were put in place and hundreds of troops garrisoned the fort.
In 1953, the United States Army transferred control of Fort Adams to the navy. Then in 1965, the fort and much of the surrounding land was given to the state of Rhode Island, which turned it into Fort Adams State Park. Since the Fort Adams Trust was formed in 1994, detailed tours of the fort have been offered and extensive preservation is ongoing.
Interesting Facts
- Lieutenant William Rosencrans served as a construction supervisor at Fort Adams. He went on to serve as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War
- Most of the laborers who built Fort Adams during its over three decades of construction were Irish immigrants. Many of these same men also built Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic church (where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier were married on September 12, 1953)
- In 1976, Fort Adams was declared a National Historic Landmark. This helped boost support for preserving the fort, which was heavily vandalized and largely neglected in the previous decades
Our Visit & Recommendations
Historic Fort Adams is preserved as part of Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI (80 Fort Adams Drive). Other than the fort itself, this park offers amazing views of the harbor and bay, an enjoyable 2.5 mile walking trail around the fort, along with docks and countless sail and motor boats to look at. Additionally, this location is used to host the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals.
If you wish to explore the interior of Fort Adams, there are a variety of options, to include guided, self-guided, and private/group tours. The fort’s tour schedule changes seasonally, so be sure to check out their website here for updated tour and admission information (it is open year-round). Since we lived in the area, we were able to visit Fort Adams on multiple occasions, in every season. Though we never did a guided tour, the interpretive signs and map allowed us to create a unique and informative self-guided tour at our own pace.
The first time I walked into Fort Adams, I was blown away by the massive size of the interior- the fort’s parade field inside is actually 6 1/2 acres large! We opted to walk the sidewalk around the perimeter of the fort, which has interpretive signs along the way that explain the history of the fort, to include unique and interesting tidbits. As you walk around, you will notice many areas that are blocked off- this is because they are not yet safe for visitors, although much work is being done to make it so.
We usually go in a clock-wise fashion around the interior and read each sign. Along the north-facing wall is a restored casemate, which is open to the public. Inside you will find a 24-pound cannon from 1848 on display, along with some other small weaponry and items used to load and fire the gun. Additionally, there are many interpretive signs and displays, which provide a chronological history of Fort Adams and Narragansett Bay, from the American Revolution through World War II.
As previously mentioned, there are many areas of the fort that are currently off-limits to visitors. Since it is such a massive structure (to include the many advance works outside the fort itself), it takes a lot of time, money, and volunteers to properly preserve and make these areas safe. With that in mind, there is work being done to this day to open up new areas to visitors and provide an even more complete understanding of Fort Adams and its history.
For now, some of the off-limits areas can be viewed through metal gates, although guided tours do offer limited access to some of these areas. With every visit, we enjoy looking into the various gated-off areas and seeing the amazing progress being made at Fort Adams.
We usually finish our self-guided tour at the scenic overlook atop the parapet of the fort, which you can access via staircases on the northern side of the fort (near the restored casemate). Wooden walkways enable visitors to easily and safely meander along the perimeter of the fort, which provides unbelievable views of the water (you won’t want to miss this). During the summer, the amount of sailboats, cruise ships, and merchants traversing the bay is astounding!
Legacy
Fort Adams is the largest coastal fortification in the United States of America. Though it never directly experienced combat like famous forts such as Fort Sumter or Fort Fisher, it remains an important historic site. Today, Fort Adams tells the story of advancements in military technology and architecture, the story of a local community in transition, and the story of the everyday soldier who was stationed there. The grandeur of the fort and the remarkable views it provides of the surrounding landscape will undoubtedly leave you awestruck!