Enlisted Men’s Barracks at Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area
FORT HANCOCK WALKING TOUR
Tour Stop 30: Enlisted Men’s Barracks
Building Numbers 22-25 and 74
Construction Date: from 1899 to 1909
If you are walking around Fort Hancock using the Walking Tour map, you will find yourself at Stop #30, the Enlisted Men’s Barracks, yet there are no barracks nearby. This stop is simply in the wrong place, for it is referring to the five buildings on the far side of the parade ground, the ones closest to Stops #36 through #38. You can see the barracks from here, but the stop and wayside exhibit should be closer to the buildings.
The first four large buildings from the left, Buildings 25 through 22, are the original barracks that were built around 1899. They held 80 men each. Building 74 on the far right, which you can see is actually U-shaped if you give it a closer inspection, is a 1909 addition. The courtyard of Building 74 held two gun batteries.
Enlisted Men’s Barracks 24 at Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Fort Hancock Enlisted Men’s Barracks 24 (foreground), 23 (under renovation), and 22 (far right, renovated), Gateway National Recreation Area
The original four barracks were built with a mess hall inside, but to make more room, the mess halls were moved to separate buildings 1905. This provided an extra 30 beds per barracks. The four buildings directly behind the barracks, Buildings 55 through 58, are the mess halls.
Mess Hall building 58 at Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area
Women were allowed to join the army for non-combat duties for the first time during World War II. Known as the Women’s Army Corp, or WACs, they arrived at Fort Hancock in 1943 and occupied Building 25 on the far left.
Enlisted Men’s Barracks 25 at Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area
The National Park Service has attempted to lease the buildings at Fort Hancock in exchange for renovation ever since the park opened in 1975, but initially very little effort was made to do so. As a result, many of the buildings have deteriorated at an alarming rate. However, some buildings have been renovated. Building 75 is now the James J. Howard Marine Science Laboratory, which is part of the Marine Academy of Science and Technology. This is a four-year high school that focuses on marine science. Established in 1981, it occupies an entire complex of buildings located along Gunnison Road behind the mess halls. The school has also leased Building 23 and the mess hall behind it, Building 56, for additional classroom and storage facilities. Construction was underway when I visited in 2021, and from what I understand, the projects are now completed (2025).
Renovation underway of Enlisted Men’s Barracks 23 at Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook unit of Gateway National Recreation Area
Building 22 is fully renovated and now occupied by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium.
Enlisted Men’s Barracks 22 at Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area
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Last updated on December 10, 2024
