Fort Wetherill is an 1890s former coast artillery of the USA defense forces. Fort Wetherill which sits on a cliff off Narragansett bay in Jamestown, Rhode Island replaced the obsolete Fort Dumpling. After 4 decades of operations, Fort Wetherill was abandoned and is currently used as a state park.

Early years of Fort Wetherill

Fort Wetherill or the “circular tower of stone’ as it was originally known was built between 1895 and 1903 on the former fort Dumpling site. Fort dumpling, which was built by Patriot forces, was built in 1776 to act as a garrison for Americans, British and French forces during the Revolutionary war. After years of operations, the British who were the last forces to occupy the fort abandoned and deserted the fort as they saw it was of non-significance. 

Under the leadership and supervision of captain Alexander Wetherill, construction of fort Wetherill began. After 7 years of construction, the new fort would be named fort Wetherill in honor of Alexander Wetherill. Fort Wetherill served as a training facility both in World War I and II. Operations ceased in the fort by 1946, 43 years after its inaugural opening.

Final days of Fort Wetherill

After world war II, Fort Wetherill was used as a center and detention facility for captured German prisoners of war. Though some minor military activities were seen on the property, the fort was more of a detention facility than a military installation. At the same time new defense installations, Fort Greene and Fort Church were established. This saw a decline in activities at Fort Wetherill drastically as the troops were transferred to the new two forts. By 1946, operations at the fort ceased and it was left to rot.

Fort Wetherill state park

Rhodes Island state later on acquired the fort after decades of rejection with the intention of restoring the site into a state park. With resources from the federal government, the state of Rhodes Island demolished unstable buildings on the property and introduced modern recreational facilities. With the name Fort Wetherill state park, the once abandoned and disowned military installations are fully equipped with walking trails, picnic tables, and scuba diving sites for enthusiastic visitors.

Is the fort open to visitors?

Fort Wetherill is open to whoever feels like visiting the historic site. Old American cup sailing boats used at the 1984 races are some of the visible historic attractions at the site. Though visitation is encouraged and appreciated by the current government, some of the old batteries and buildings are out of bounds due to their weak walls and sunken foundations. Taking caution while at the site can be of great help for both the managing body and the visitor.