Fort Wolcott

Fort Wolcott sits on Goat Island in Newport Harbor and features thick stone walls with gun batteries positioned to defend the entrance to Narragansett Bay. The layout shows how 18th-century planners organized fortifications with bastions and parade grounds to protect against naval threats.

Built first as Fort Anne in 1702, the fortification changed hands and names through the colonial period, becoming Fort George in 1730 before its final renaming to Fort Wolcott in 1798. The site later served as the Naval Torpedo Station starting in 1869, marking a shift from traditional coastal defense to naval weapons development.

Fort Wolcott represents early American coastal defense architecture and commemorates Oliver Wolcott, a significant figure in United States military history.

The former fort is now home to Coast Guard facilities and can only be reached by boat across Newport Harbor. Public access is limited since it remains an active military installation, so plan ahead and check what areas might be open to visitors.

The island housing this fort was once known by different names and its designation as Goat Island was not always certain. Few realize that weapons development work here contributed to early innovations in underwater combat technology during a transformative period in naval history.

Location: Rhode Island

Inception: 1702

GPS coordinates: 41.48520,-71.32800

Latest update: December 11, 2025 18:01