Fort Gibson (2)

Fort Gibson (2) (1795-1861) - A U.S. Army post established in 1795 on present day Ellis Island in New York Harbor, New York County, New York. Upgraded to a Second System fort in 1809. Named Fort Gibson in 1814 by New York Governor Daniel D. Tompkins after Colonel James Gibson, 4th U.S. Riflemen, who was killed at the Battle of Fort Erie, Canada, in September 1814. Turned over to the Navy in 1861. Also known as Crown Fort Fort Gibson (2) History First fortified in 1795 and later upgraded to a 14 gun circular battery known as Crown Fort. The land was acquired by the Federal government in 1808 and upgraded to a 20-gun Second System coastal fort with a magazine and barracks. The fort was used as a garrison by American troops and as a prisoner-of-war camp for British prisoners during the War of 1812 but was not attacked. In 1861 the fort was dismantled and the U.S. Navy established a naval powder magazine on the island. The naval powder magazine was removed to Fort Wadsworth on 24 May 1890 and the Ellis Island Immigration Station became operational on 1 Jan 1892. Current Status Ellis Island National Monument, New York County, New York USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2359512 {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Ellis Island National Monument, New York County, New York. Maps & Images Lat: 40.6991667 Long: -74.0391667 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 7' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 554-555 Links: North American Forts - Fort Gibson Wikipedia - Ellis Island New York State Military Museum - Fort Gibson NPS - Ellis Island Visited: No Fort Gibson (2) Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!