Fort Wood
Address:
Statue of Liberty National Monument
Liberty (Bedloe) Island
Manhattan
Category: Harbor Defenses
Open daily except December 25th. Ferries depart frequently from the Battery.
Built: 1808-1811
Owner: National Park Service
Description: Originally known as Star Fort because of its 11 point star-shaped battery, the Fort was named for Eleazor Wood, a hero of the War of 1812. In 1861 it was an infirmary for sick Confederate prisoners of war. Some of the old ramparts can be seen near the entrance to the Statue of Liberty, which is through the Fort’s 20-foot thick walls and sally port door. Inside, a stairway leads to a promenade that was a gun platform along the wall of the fort.
