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Michael has a BA in History & American Studies and an MSc in American History from the University of Edinburgh. He comes from a proud military family and has spent most of his career as an educator in the Middle East and Asia. His passion is travel, and he seizes any opportunity to share his experiences in the most immersive way possible, whether at sea or on the land.

Part of our in-depth series exploring the forts of Northern Early America

Picture of Fort Carroll

Baltimore's Third System defense, Fort Carroll was named in 1850 to honor Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It is located on a man-made island in the Patapsco River adjacent to the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The construction was once supervised by Robert E. Lee. It is hexagonal and includes three modern coastal batteries. They are Battery Towson (1900 - 1918), Battery Heart (1900 - 1917), and Battery Augustin (1900 - 1920). The single story fort was origginally intended to have four tiers. The fort was abandoned after WWI. The Coast Guard used the fort during World War II. A lighthouse was added in 1854 and rebuilt in 1898. The lighthouse and the fort were abandoned after World War II. The fort was originally known as Fort at Soller's Point during its construction. During the Civil War, Fort Carroll had only five gun platforms ready in April 1861, and only two were armed with guns, out of a planned 225 gun emplacements. Privately owned, and with no public access, it is overgrown and deteriorating. The best views are from Fort Armistead.

Thanks to Phil Payette at American Forts Network for the above picture and information.
Communities and Related Links
Fort Carroll Home Page
Baltimore
Baltimore Convention and Visitors Bureau

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