Satellite view of Battery Weed on Staten Island
Battery Weed, part of Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, is a masonry fort from the Third System of Coastal Defenses. Construction started in 1847, but it wasn’t until the Civil War that it was completed. Comprised of three levels of enclosed casemates and a top level of gun emplacements exposed to the elements, the fort held 116 guns. However, rifled artillery developed during the Civil War rendered masonry forts obsolete, so Battery Weed was outdated by the time it was completed.
Battery Weed at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island
Battery Weed was built on a spot originally occupied by an older fort named Fort Richmond. In fact, Fort Richmond was its original name. In 1865 the name was changed to Fort Wadsworth in honor of General James Wadsworth, who was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness during the Civil War. When the entire army post was renamed Fort Wadsworth in 1902, the fort itself was renamed Battery Weed. Why it is called a battery, I don’t know since a battery is a reinforced concrete and rebar structure, not a masonry fort. There were no batteries installed within the fort.
Entrance into Battery Weed
Interior of Battery Weed on Staten Island
Bastions of Battery Weed, part of Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island
Battery Weed was not open when I visited, and I’m not sure if it is ever open to the public. If it is, it would only be accessible on the tour of the entire Fort Wadsworth conducted by the National Park Service. For a schedule, check the Calendar web page for Gateway National Recreation Area. If you can’t get inside, the best view of the battery is from an observation plaza located next to Fort Tompkins.
View of Battery Weed from the observation plaza near Fort Tompkins
A lighthouse was erected on top of Battery Weed in 1903. It remained active until 1965 when the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened. In 2002, volunteers worked to restore the light, and in 2005 it was re-lit using solar power.
Lighthouse at Battery Weed
Next Stop: Torpedo Shed and Wharf | Previous Stop: South Cliff Battery
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Last updated on December 20, 2021
