Fort Totten, Queens
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Construction began on Fort Totten began in 1862 after the land was purchased by the U.S. Government in 1857 from the Willet's family. The fort sits on Willet's Point, near Bayside in Queens County, New York. The original purpose was to protect the East River approach to New York Harbor, along with Fort Schuyler, which faces it from Throgs Neck on the opposite side of the river entrance.
The fort was named in 1898 after Joseph Gilbert Totten.
Much of the fort has become a public park and is open to the people of NYC for tours by the New York City Parks & Recreation Department. During the winter months, a large variety of migratory waterfowl can be observed in the surrounding Long Island Sound and Little Neck Bay. Most of the buildings are now run-down and not used. Fort Totten is also a sports complex, as it holds baseball fields and three soccer fields used for youth soccer. Despite its conversion to civilian life, Fort Totten remains the official headquarters of the U.S. Army Reserve's 77th Division, the "Statue of Liberty Division".
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- 1920 map of Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, and Fort Schuyler (PDF)
- Coast Defense Study Group
- Fort Totten, NY Alumni
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