Castle Clinton, National monument and historic fort in Battery Park, New York, US
Castle Clinton National Monument is a historic fort from the early 19th century located in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, right on the waterfront. The rounded structure is built of reddish-brown stone, with thick walls and narrow openings that once held cannons facing the harbor.
The fort was built in 1811 on a manmade island in New York Harbor to guard against British attack, but it never fired a shot during the War of 1812. After the war it went through a series of transformations, serving as an entertainment venue, an immigration station for millions of arrivals, and then an aquarium before being declared a national monument in 1946.
Admission to the monument is free and it is open daily. The site also houses the ticket booth for ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, so it tends to be busy in the morning when boats depart.
Although the fort was armed with 28 guns, it never fired a single shot in battle. It was originally built on a small island separated from Manhattan, and the land between was filled in over time, which is why it now sits inside a park rather than out in the water.
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