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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFort Tyler -6 _ Preserving Your Bit of History The Peconic Bay Shopper July 3, 1992 { i t ,Fort Tyler in its entirety looking east, June 1976. Fort Tyler by George H. Morton fitting between Plum Island and Gardiner's Island, on the east end The word is that it was not because he was our 10th President alone, but of Long Island, is a lonely piece of real estate known as "The rather because two years after the death of his first wife, he married Julia Ruins." On any navigational chart they appear at about Latitude Gardiner in 1844. 41-09N Longitude 72-09W. - It cost the U.S. government $500,000, according to a newspaper The "ruins" are what is left of a fort contructed at the time of the article written about 1924. The article was sent to me by Mary Siski of the Spanish American War (1898) to protect the eastern end of Long Island East Hampton Library, and has no source or date on it. and the route to New York City through Long Island Sound, from the Some people say that the fort was constructed from stones quarried Spanish. in Connecticut. However, in the article written about 1924, it said the When the war was imminent, New Yorkers became "panic-stricken" contractor "chartered tugs and ships and quarried tap rock from the with the thought of the Spanish Fleet sailing up Long Island Sound and Palisades. He took his men and the rocks to the tip of Gardiner's Island. attacking New York City from the sea. Hundreds of men worked day in and day out throwing up a mass of Unfortunately, by the time the fort was "completed", two years later, concrete rock. At night they went aboard the ships to sleep." the war was over and New Yorkers had forgotten about the fright and the As the local story goes, the barges with the rocks and workers just War Department was quite willing to forget it too. appeared one day out of no where and began pulling up stakes that held The Fort was named Fort Tyler, after our 10th President, John Tyler. the fish nets of the local fishermen, and began to construct the fort. Preserving Your Bit of History The Peconic Bay Shopper July 3, 1992 There seems to be some difference of opinion as to whether the fort "The islands dotting the map at the Eastern tip of Long Island were was constructed on the island where it is today,or on the original Gardiner's strategic in significance for the fact that a gateway to New York City Point before the water broke through making it a separate island. between three islands that guarded the Sound and most of the Connecticut On this point once stood the Gardiner's Point Lighthouse. It is said Coast—Fort H.G. Wright on Fisher's Island; Fort Michie on Great Gull that the fort was built on the spot where the lighthouse once stood. Island:and Fort Terry on Plum Island,were built primarily as contingencies." In a copy of the Atlantic Coast Pilot, 1876, it mentions the Gardiner's There were pictures of the fortifications even a picture of the author's Point Lighthouse: father who had served on Plum Island at Fort Terry. But, there was no "Gardiner's Point, easily recognized by the lighthouse upon it. It is mention of Fort Tyler. the northern extremity of a long flat beach, which extends in a nearly N Mr. Walter Mengeweit of Southold wrote the article, and in my conver- NW direction from the main portion of Gardiner's Island for nearly two sations with him he assured me that it was not because the fort was not miles, and is covered only with beach grass. strategic, but rather the lack of information about the old fort. "The lighthouse. which stands close to the northern end of the point, Was Fort Tyler significant or strategic?It had been considered strategic is a circular brick tower, twenty-six feet high. painted brown, and attached in the overall plan of defense for Eastern Long Island. The plan was known to the keeper's dwelling,which is of the same color.It is known as Gardiner's as "Long Island's Eastern Shield." Island Lighthouse, and is very difficult to recognize, as a lighthouse, until To quote a memo from the Headquarters of the U.S.Army, Information close to it. It has, therefore been recommended that the tower be either Section,Whitehall.Governor's Island,New York.dated January 14, 1958: raised or painted a different color from the dwelling. "Geography has placed Long Island in a position of importance for It shows a fixed white light, of the sixth order, from a height of three metropolitan areas in three states. Ever since New York, New Haven, thirty-three feet above sea level, visible eleven miles. Its geographical and Providence, became important to this country, Long Island and its Position is Latitude 41-08N Longitude 72-08W. " smaller islands have become militarily important to the three cities. One story is told that the lighthouse was cut off from Gardiner's Island "In the outer ring of an elaborate defense system around those three during the blizzard of 1888 and its gale winds that swept the bay. Yet cities were eight military installations which have been vital cogs in the others have mentioned walking to the fort from Gardiner's Island in the wheels of the American defense effort, and a key to the changing weapons early 1900's. and missions in the U.S. defense pattern. Robert David Lion Gardiner, who "owns" the island, wrote: "Reading from north to south these installations were rich in history, "The RUINS were connected to Gardiner's Island by a sand spit until tradition, and legend, and often unknown to the residents of the area." 1875 when a winter storm caused a break in the sand spit which was a "In the north, Fort Mansfield, in Rhode Island, Fort Trumbill in Connec- causeway. Ever since that time, the RUINS have been divorced from the ticut; Fort H.G. Wright on Fisher's Island; Fort Michie, Great Gull Island: nain part of Gardiner's Island by a shoal. Forth Terry on Plum Island; Fort Tyler on Gardiner's Island: and C`amp "I remember my grandmother telling me that she use to drive out Hero on the South Shore, named after Major General Andrew Hero, Jr." e'om the Manor House to the site of the RUINS in a carriage when she Staying with our immediate subject, that of Fort Tyler, we continue -vas a small child and prior to the storm. There was once a carriage drive with the memo: he full length of Gardiner's Point. On 17th and 18th century maps you "Fort Tyler,situated on Gardiner's Point,Gardiner's Island,was erected will see the Point with its bulbous end intact." on land originally purchased for a lighthouse, but later abandoned. Other old records indicate that the light house was built in 1854 and "Lying within the waters of Block Island Sound, Fort Tyler guarded ighted for the first time in 1855. According to Gardiner, "Until 1875 there was a lighthouse at the tip the southern segment of the Sound,as well as all the waters of the important bays where Long Island forks into two branches." .f Gardiner's Point. When the storm broke, the lighthouse keeper and his One might ask himself, "then what ha •ife were rescued.They never went back and the lighthouse was abandoned more about the fort?" The answer might be en ethe fact hatd het for hear Ince it had been wrecked by the storm." Other information indicates that never really used. to name of the last lighthouse keeper was Jonathan Miller. The last mention of the fort in the memo is as follows: "At the end Whether it was a break-through in '75 or '88, as some state, it is a of World War I, the installation became excess to the needs of the federal .ct that the fort is separated from Gardiner's Island. It is also a fact that government and was authorized to be sold." seems to have been separated from its rightful spot in history, through In the article published in that New York paper around 1924, the i fault of its own. following is quoted in reference to men and weapons on Fort Tyler. In the "Peconic Bay Shopper"—November 2, 1982, there was an "They say that the first time an Inspector General visited Fort Tyler licle explaining why three forts were built in 1899. The reason, the he turned to his guides and asked them if somebody was trying to perpetrate )ssible invasion by the Spanish. The article went like this: a joke on him. Convinced that this was Fort Tyler, he hastened back -8 Preserving Your Bit of History The Peconic Bay'Shopper July 3, 1992 to Isis office and wrote a solemn report that as a haven of refuse for tired sea- gulls it was fine, but as a place to billet coast artillerymen it was off the list." The article continues: "There was little or nothing to inspect, any- way. No troops had ever soldiered there.No guns were planted.No black . muzzled cannon menaced the plea- sure craft that passed on quiet days. But, a half million dollars spent in such a good cause served its purpose in another way. "New York and the government profited by the experience of'98.Two a „ modern fortresses were built, one on Plum Island and the other on Fisher's Island, thereby guarding Long Island Sound from an enemy foolish enough to come within range and invite them to shoot.As far as they go New York is safe, except from airships, airplanes, aerial bombs, and poison gas." However, the U.S. Army, in its memo of January 14, 1958, had con- sidered Fort Tyler strategic. Even though it had never been manned either by men or weapons, they had The Compound Area, or Parade Ground, June 1976. included it in "Long Island's Eastern Shield." construction was stopped because it stopped was that "the low sandy is- be a bit steep. I say this because in When I first read the part about was discovered that the low sandy land on which it was being built was 1899 they started constructLng Fort the Inspector General of the Army island on which it was being built was washing away quite rapidly", might Terry on Plum Island at a much less (Corps of Engineers) who had in- washing away quite rapidly. be the cause for the Inspector General exaggerated price to the U.S.govem- spected the fort, I thought he had in- "In later years,on one of my visits to make his decision. ment. spected it after it had been com- to the-fort, I remember seeing the re- The letter of Mr. Ketcham indi- I called the Plum Island Libra- pleted. mains of a wooden tramway which cates that he put an end to the con- rian, Mr. Steve Perlman,who not only However, I have received a letter had been used to transport concrete struction because he didn't like what spent his time looking for Fort Tyler from Mr. J.B. (Ben) Ketcham of to places where needed, some on he saw. When I first -saw that item in the computer.records of the U.S. Greenport that gives me the impres- ground level,and some elevated.The from that newspaper, I had thought Army and other government organiza- sion that the fort was never completed track was missing because my grand- the Fort was completed. I now as- tions and coming up with nothing,but in the first place. father, a boat builder having a shop sume that was not so. also was kind enough to quote me I would like to take time here to on Sterling Creek next to the Presby- So, old Fort Tyler was never the price/cost of constructing some thank Mr. Ketcham for his letter and terian Church, had obtained it (the used, never soldiered, so never got of the buildings in 1899. greatfully quote from it now: track) to use in the construction of its chance to make a rightful mark in For example, the first building to "I recall hearing my elders speak his ways for hauling and launching history. be constructed began on March 19, of the old fort once or twice when I boats." It appears to me that the price 1899. It was the officer's quarters and was younger—some 75 years ago. The remark by Mr. Ketcham that of the Fort, as quoted in the 1924 cost $6,648. $6,648 was a good According to my memory of their talk, the reason the construction was article in the New York paper, might - - �-`� �' .,���C��• lana was mimnell Held, the bead- A, ,r , C_+3 Preserving Your Bit of History The Peconic Bay Shopper July 3, 1992 9 number because building number 2 cost the same. ■ yk- 111 TH THIS A D Building number 3 was built in 1899 at a cost of only $3.000, but building number 4 cost a bit more. It went for the price of $13,000 and 500 OFF_ was used as a barracks for the men. L Building number 5, a Guard House, went for $3,354. In 1916, the hospital building went up at a cost of $23,898. The building is being used ROWING MACHINESI today as the adminstration building. i & , The total cost of buildings built in 1899, as I have listed, comes to �f/ i\ EXERCISE BIKES around $32,650. If you add the cost of the hospital building the total price ■ would be around $56,548. Even if we threw in a hundred thousand for labor, it would only come —SPQR to $156.548. 1 am not saying I am correct on this, just that I think that ' $500,000 was a bit high for even those times. Then again, I don't know ■ r what it would have cost to quarry the rock and transport it in 1898. ■ Whatever the price, Fort Tyler was built but never completed. It MACHINES•TENNIS RACKETS re- mained on the books of the War Department as the "Fort Tyler Military ■ GOLF EQUIPMENT•AC LB UNIVERSAL ■ Reservation" until 1924 when it was turned over to the State of New York ■ • FISHING & CAMPING EQUIPMENT• ■ for $50, to be used as a State Park function. The State of New York was in the process of creating new recreation WANTED! USED SPORTS EQUIPMENT! ■ spots throughout the state. The state figured that the small island sitting 1f ...ANYTHING & EVERYTHING! ■ wouldentrance to Block Island Sound and the back end of Gardiner's Bay, SPORTS CARDS & COLLECTIBLES BUY * SELL * TRADE would make an ideal spot for a park or camp-site. Up to this time no one except some occasional campers and fishermen ■ ACROSS FROM WICKHAM'S,MAIN ROAD,CUTCHOGUE•734-6058 used the island. There was evidence (as stated in the newspaper article) that some "rum runners" had used the island from time to time and that they had, while there, lightened their load. The State of New York thought for $50, they had a spot that could be used by campers, sea scouts, and "other organizations whose members ��� t a liked the idea of beingcast away on a desert island only y o ten miles from shore." This reference to the distance from land is somewhat incorrect, as JOHN DEERE Fort Tyler sits around three miles from Orient Point. The conclusion of the article stated that "The only ones to suffer from the intrusion apparently will be the seagulls and the bootleggers." July 4th All Amedcan PmdVc It has been said, and written, that the island Fort Tyler is on, was Here's chance to buy an American favorite at great prices! originally 14 acres of land when the water broke through. Mr. Madison S. Pearson, of Orient, New York and former member of Whether you need a John Deere mower,trimmer,edger or power equipment, the Peconic Bay Power Squadron, wrote about the Fort one time in the you can count on quality.Check out these: late 50's and compiled some information about the fort's use as a park. from Mr. Sidney M. Shapiro, Chief Engineer and General Manager of the SMRuhngM"M Long Island Park Commission. We quote Mr. Pearson and Mr. Shapiro as follows: "One of the earliest aquisitions of the newly created Long Island Park (l Commission in 1924,was Gardiner's Point, a sand spit which through tidal f4?Z. LX188Lam TTwMr scouring and wind erosion, has been separated from the north side of Gardiner's Island between-the North and South flukes of Eastern Long w _&-eNa1 NOTTING RUNS T.TKR A DEERE Island. "It was aquired for $50 from the United States War Department in- 1924, it was the site of Fort Tyler-which with Fort Terry, two miles distant on Plum Island,guarded the entrance to Gardiner's Bay during the Spanish ArnWV an 1&Izr in 1 RQR "It was named Gardiner's Point State park, in 1927 and had comfort statians, a dock, signs and picnic nooks were erected by the Commis- sion. but, three years later,all the park instailaJons were demolished by a devastating storm which swept the is- A ~ land." "The Coast Artillery Base on Gull .'-`"" Island, about two miles to the north, reportedly was using the small island park for target practice with visible =" results. Direct hits had been made on y the fort. "For a time it appeared that the K park might become a wild bird sanctuary. Since it was accessible only by boat and because it was so completely isolated, it was a natural a breeding spot. A large colony of terns e � ' (500 or more) chose it as a nesting place. Shore parties soon were found to have trampled eggs, also newly hatched terns underfoot. "After considering all the positive and negative factors, the Park Com- mission found the latter in preponder- ance. Accordingly (1936), the War Department was notified that the re- The west wall of the compound area looking south. maining three of the original fourteen acre island was being surrendered." Another story goes that the is- of an embarrassment, at a cost of to know the fate of Fort Tyler. earth more than 100 yards distant land had dwindled down to about an $500 Thousand, performing no func- According to a news story (no from the fort. This was considered a acre and a half by hurricanes, water, tional mission for the military. Every- date or source), six Martin bombers fairly good record in view of the fact and wind. During big storms water as thing in the military, especially in the from Mitchell Field,three in the mom- that the bombs were dropped from high as the fort itself, washed across Army, MUST perform a mission or be ing and three in the afternoon, drop- altitudes ranging from 8,000 to the island. dealt away, dropped or deleted. ped bombs on Fort Tyler one day. 10,000 feet. • The winds did blow over the fort. In the middle 40's (date not re- For historical purposes I would "Fishing boats and airplanes From the Long Island Traveler, Oc- ally known), somewhere in the milit- like to quote from that news item: were kept away from the area in which tober 25, 1973, we see in their "Se- ary Chain-of-Command, a decision "Six Martin bombers dropped the bombs were dropped between 8 venty-five Years Ago" section: "Most was made. That decision made Fort bombs on the fort early in the week, a.m. and 3:30 p.m. in accordance of the government buildings on Gar- Tyler a "military bombing target." three in the moming and three during with a warning issued by the army. diner's Point at Gardiner's Island, Sad, but true, the military had the aftemoon. Residents on the main- This activity was seen by local were washed away in a great storm." decided to make one of the historical land said that the detonations rattled residents of both the north and south My substraction makes that the spots from the Spanish American War windows. shore, as harmful to the area. year of 1898. So, somewhere along period, on the East End, a bombing "The flight was commanded by Fishermen screamed in protest. that time the other buildings with the target. Someone had decided that the Lieut. G.F. Olive, of Mitchell Field. The captains of commercial boats fort were blown away. fort was performing no function other From the post the planes flew along that fished for "menhaden, used in Giving Fort Tyler back to the gov- than being a hotel for tired seagulls the South Shore of Long Island to a the manufacture of fertilizer,sent their ernment left the U.S. Army with sort or an outstation for commercial point opposite Gardiner's Island,then protests against the bombing ac- of a "White Elephant" because it was fishermen and campers. proceeded due north over an uninha- tivities to the War Department in not, and most likely, would never be At the western end of Long Is- bited portion of the island to Gar- Washington." used as a "Coastal Fortress." land was Mitchell Field, the Head- diner's Point." Not to be out-gunned, the sport There it sat at the end of the quarters for the 9th Bombardment "It was reported that all the bom- fishermen also complained. They "Twin Forks" of Long Island, and at Group. It was from Mitchell Field that bers had made direct hits on the fort contended that,"tbe waters near Gar- the time it must have been somewhat those at the end of Long Island came and that none of the bombs struck diner's Point are the best for bluefish y I i ,aoa r ah' 1 r [ l I (�` li..1 11` rpt x, x,,P1 IVJJ r�+ a r I1�t k3 I4�I1 I � 1 d� 1 , 41�i i I 4i Preserving Your Bit of History Th in this vicinity and that the blues have just started to run. They asked that the bombing be stopped or at least postponed until fall after the bluefish season has passed." Nature lovers, the environmentalists of their time, also complained that the `old Fort"was a popular spot for the fish hawk or Osprey, to breed and that the "hawk" was becoming extinct. The supervisors of the towns most affected by the bombings, Perry B. Duryea of East Hampton, and S.W. Horton of Southold Town, wrote letters of protest to"Major General McCoy, commanding the Second Army Corps Area, Governor's Island." The protests and letters were not completely ignored but neither did the bombings cease as requested. The colonel in charge of the group doing the actual bombing, Colonel Walter Frank,showed some consideration by sending out only a few aircraft during the week and none over the weekends. However, the good colonel explained "one of these bombs could drop within ten feet of a fish and the fish would never know the difference. The bombs were not that explosive, they said. They were in the neigh- borhood of 100 pounds each and were basically metal containers "loaded with sand and with two pounds of black powder to make a puff of smoke and show where the bomb landed. The only damage they did to the fortification today was to chip off a little stone and cement." 1 can remember as a young boy in the late 40's, watching the planes bomb the "fort". There also were fighter bombers that swooped out of the blue and attacked the "ruins" in Gardiner's Bay. If my memory does not fail me, they the Gruman Avenger, a true fighter bomber, and of course there was the F4U Corsair. In the early 50's I remember those new(angled fighter aircraft/bombers known as jets, peeling off from about 8,000 feet and shooting something that seemed more powerful than 100 pound containers full of sand, or at least it did to me. I would have to say they were part of the new arsenal of weapons being developed after WWII. I remember the puffs of black smoke seen in the 40's, but, the large flashes of light that could be seen from Orient Point in the 50's came from something with a little more punch than the 100 pound containers of sand. No matter what has been shot at the "fort", or how the elements have worn away the walls of cement and stone, the fact remains that Fort Tyler sits in Gardiner's Bay virtually unknown to those who pass the structure by ship, or see it on the horizon from the nearby shoreline. I have been to Fort Tyler twice in my life. Once when I was six years old in 1940, and once in 1976 when the pictures were taken. In 1940, 1 went with my parents and Mr. and Mrs. Myron Brown. Mike Brown was a commercial fishermarr who used the island as a stopping off point. He had a large boat and asked my mother and father to come along for a picnic. What I remember of the Fort at that time is not much. As a small boy it looked a lot bigger to me than its actual size. I can remember looking into the rooms and opening and closing barred doors that still swunq in and out. =-14 (, Yo w Bit of History he Peconic Bay Shopper As I look back on it, the fort a Peer July 3, 1992 would see in a film representing appeared to me to look lake one you Unfortanely, that is about all I remember. I can imagine a sign at Orient Point on the a fort of the French Foreign Legion. like, " In 1976. I mentioned to a On the horizon to the east side of Gardiner's Isla Sza ko, good friend of mine, rhe late Richard remains of Fort Tyler beach saying rY of East Marion, that I wanted to y 9 something and take pictures. He make another visit to the Fort If the State of New Ylork had gsp8nt money for it Island can be seen the the next Monday, quickly said, "When do 30's, how well it would look today. and it was done, you want to �^ its back in the It took us about an hour and a half to reach the Fort from East entioned It was a It is evident that not much money would have been needed to keep great experience for me after all those years. the island from sinking into Gardiner Ba We circled the Fort for about twent Marion. the State of the U.S. p film of what was left of the place from all four sides. y. because without the help of y minutes a. I shot half a roll of and missiles, and the elements nature, is still thereant fire of bombs Then we finally pulled his small boat u facing a b; si p on the beach and went ashore The following picture of Fort Tyler was taken b 9 gn stating that the Fort was "U S Government Pro ert around the trespassing was not only sister d New year 1920. 1 received who were ive y Mr. John Mackey undetonated explosives.y prohibited, but could be dangerous p y and picture from Mr. Bob Tuthill and his �I We spent almost two hours on the island, walkin gourd because of We thank them both because the g n the picture by Mr.Mackey. all the o the fort and put those thoughts into a very short caused me to think about penings, doors, what-have- 9 around poking into ry short poem. else to see, you, and there really was not much The old parade ground was deep in stones with grass growingthrough y them. Grass that grows near or on beaches in defiance of win S water, and all the elements that are thrown at them. What looked like an old d, rain, and gun emplacement had broken off and fallen �. 4 to the beach on the northeast comer of the fort. if the in the 1924 p Pa er is correct, no story that appeared ' Seagulls flew overhead, commercial and r installed. it was vet,.` ry quiet and peaceful on the for arter is passed by, What is left stands there fighting the elements like and storm. It's back, like an old man, is bent, man in a and an old fort and nota just how long t will resemble Pile of rocks, we do not know. As I write this, I keep thinking about all the other historical s are being preserved. I think that n is a terrible thin that t There she sat without a buyer not,be made to look like it use to. pots that This structure known as old Fort Tyler/ N0�'almost after a hundred years. 9 he old Fort could Sitting in waters, I think that it is a shame that "natives" peaceful and calm; Fere is no one to shed any tears: do not know more about Fort Tyler. Some who are much East End and "locals" In the 40's she felt the wrath of bombs. No State or gaetnment will go in hock: have told me they never heard of it referred to as anything but"th To save this old piece of rock. I think that those who view it from the sea such older than myself There she sits as if with no name f should be made aware of what it was and its name,d from S. ershoreline As for me, I think it's a shame. amu.