Fort Carroll is a man-made island located south of Baltimore, Maryland. It has a total land area of 3.4 acres. The fort is now an abandoned hexagonal sea fort in the Patapsco River near Curtis Bay, Maryland. On April 14, 2015, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Protecting Baltimore

The Maryland state granted the United States War Department permission to build a fort in 1847. To protect the city of Baltimore, the fort was built in the shallow water of Soller's Point Flats. At the time, Fort McHenry was the only defensive structure between Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay. As a result, the Fort Carroll construction became critical to Baltimore's defense. The fort was built as part of the "Permanent System" construction program. Robert E. Lee designed and oversaw the construction of the hexagonal structure. The construction began in 1848 and was overseen by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. On October 8, 1850, the fort was named. In 1852, Lee moved from Baltimore to become the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. A lighthouse was built on the ramparts to help in the navigation of the harbor but was later replaced by a new one in 1898. It was automated in 1920 and was decommissioned before 1945. The lighthouse can still be seen today. The original design depicted the fort as being armed with 225 cannons on three levels.

Rebuff of Fort Carroll

The army removed the weapons from Battery Heart when World War I broke out in 1917. Battery Towson's were also withdrawn for use in 1918. The fort's guns had all been removed by 1920. The army decided to evacuate Fort Carroll and transfer to nearby Fort Howard in March 1921, bringing all remaining military equipment with them. The war department made the immediate decision to sell the territory. During WWII, the fort was utilized as a firing range as well as a vessel checkpoint by the army. Benjamin Eisenberg, a Baltimore attorney, bought the land in May 1958 with the aim of creating a casino, but his plans fell through. The fort was abandoned and turned into a wildlife sanctuary.

Fort Carroll Ruin

Fort Carroll was added to Preservation Maryland's list of threatened historic properties in 2013. Fort Carroll is currently an eyesore ruin dominated by plant tendrils in one of America’s top cities. All of the batteries are still standing, but the main buildings that were not fortified have since collapsed. The electrical wiring that provided power to light underground tunnels used by soldiers to move ammunition from one battery to another has all been vandalized, leaving the dark of the tunnel. To even consider going inside the dark tunnels takes bravery and a warrior mentality. Because the fort is privately owned, it cannot be accessed without the owner's permission.