Endicott Board

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The Endicott Board of Fortifications was a body convened by Secretary of War William Crowninshield Endicott in 1886 to address coastal defense needs of the United States in light of rapid advances in naval ship design and weaponry.

The Endicott Board's recommendations would lead to a large scale modernization program of harbor and coastal defenses in the United States, especially the construction of modern reinforced concrete fortifications and the installation of large caliber breech-loading artillery and mortar batteries. The fortifications constructed as part of this program were a radical departure from traditional masonry forts concealing massed batteries of cannon that had dominated harbor defense for most the 19th century. Instead, smaller batteries of two to four large caliber rifled guns were installed in well-constructed emplacements hidden behind earth covered concrete parapets. The guns themselves were mounted on disappearing mounts that would raise the guns above their protective cover only when they were ready to fire. The energy from the recoil would then return the guns to their protected position for reloading.

In 1905 the Taft Board made further recommendations for updating and expanding seacoast fortifications in the United States and included the construction of forts to guard the Panama Canal and Oahu.

By the time of the First World War many of the Endicott and Taft era forts had become obsolete due to the increased range and accuracy of naval weaponry and the advent of aircraft.