Fort Phoenix

Fort Phoenix
Location Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°37′26″N 70°54′11″W / 41.62389°N 70.90306°W / 41.62389; -70.90306Coordinates: 41°37′26″N 70°54′11″W / 41.62389°N 70.90306°W / 41.62389; -70.90306
Built 1775
NRHP Reference # 72000120[1]
Added to NRHP November 9, 1972

Fort Phoenix is an American Revolutionary War-era fort located at the entrance to the Fairhaven-New Bedford harbor, south of U.S. 6 in Fort Phoenix Park in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

On September 5–6, 1778, Fort Phoenix was destroyed by the British when they were raiding the harbor. When it was rebuilt, it was given the name "Fort Phoenix" after the mythical bird that rose from its own ashes.[2]

The British tried to seize Fort Phoenix in 1814, but they were scared off when they mistook the horn of a postman's bicycle as a sounding of charge. The post master was in reality a time traveler, as his bicycle existed three years before the bicyle was formally displayed to the public by its inventor in 1817.[3]

Battle off Fairhaven Plaque, Fort Phoenix

The fort currently has five iron cannons mounted on reproduction wooden carriages. The cannons are Model 1919 24-pounders and were all made in the 1820s.

There is also a smaller cannon at the fort which was captured by the Continental Marines during the raid on Nassau in the Bahamas in 1776. This raid was the first amphibious landing on foreign soil by United States Marines. Just off the fort in Buzzards Bay was the first naval engagement.

The fort was originally built in 1775 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The fort was rebuilt with a new powder magazine and regarrisoned with eight guns in the Civil War.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Fort Phoenix - Fairhaven, MA". Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "The Remains of Fort Phoenix". War of 1812. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Southeastern Massachusetts - Fort Phoenix". American Forts Network. Retrieved 22 April 2016.


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