Castle Island

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Fort Independence on Castle Island

1888 map of Boston Harbor showing Castle Island as an island.

Another view of Castle Island.

Castle Island is a 22 acre (89,000 m²) major recreation site located in South Boston on the shore of Boston Harbor, and the site of a five sided fort first built in 1643. The present fort, built between 1834 and 1851, is the eighth generation of forts. First named Fort William and Mary by the British, it was renamed Fort Independence in 1779 and is one of the oldest fortified sites in British North America. Long recognized for its strategic location, the fort helped protect Boston from British attack during the War of 1812. The island is also the site of a monument to Donald McKay, the builder of the famous clipper ships Flying Cloud and Sovereign of the Seas.

Castle Island was originally some distance offshore, but land reclamation for expansion of port facilities has extended the mainland towards it, and it is now connected to the mainland by pedestrian and vehicle causeways. Today it is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and is open to tours in the summer.

Local lore has it that an unpopular officer was walled up in the fort's dungeon following a duel in which he killed a more popular man. Edgar Allan Poe learned of the legend while serving on Castle Island in the Army, and his short story The Cask of Amontillado is said to be based on it.

During the Second World War the U.S. Navy used the site for a ship degaussing station.

[edit] Visiting Castle Island

Castle Island is open to the public on a year round basis. From Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend Fort Independence is open to guided tours every Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 3:30. During June, July and August, the Fort is open on Thursday nights from 7:00 pm until dusk to allow for visitors to walk the ramparts. All interpretive programming is conducted by the Castle Island Association with the assistance of the DCR. Sullivan's is open March 1 through the last Sunday in November as are public restrooms.