Rose
Island was critical to the early coastal defense of Newport Harbor.
In 1799 the newly formed United States began construction on the
nation’s first Fort Hamilton. While the fort was never completed
as such, over the next 150 years its barracks and northwest circular
bastion were converted into magazines where MILLIONS of pounds
of explosives were stored during World Wars I and II.
Each
day workers were ferried to the Naval Torpedo Station at Rose Island
to work in machine shops located right next to the barracks-turned-magazine.
To keep the workers from harm, should a spark set off the explosives,
the Navy constructed a 220-foot long, bombproof cement wall to
deflect the blast.
Fortunately
there was no explosion and both the wall and the 200-year old barracks
still remain. The barracks will be restored for public use as part
of this fundraising campaign. The area where the machine shops
once stood is overgrown with 50 years’ vegetation that today
attracts and supports a vibrant bird-nesting colony.
Thus
the wall has become a permanent boundary line between
the two areas and protects Rose Island’s open space and wildlife
areas.
Each
name placed on this wall becomes a symbol of our steadfast, ever-present
vigilance and a testament to our shared commitment to protect
Rose Island forever.
Both
Rose Island and its Historic Lighthouse are listed in the National
Register of Historic Places.
