Napatree Point and Fort Mansfield

Napatree Point in Westerly, Rhode Island is now contained in conservation land. The peninsula is plentiful in history, with it's grassy dunes and rocky coasts, along with the hidden gem of Fort Mansfield. The name "Napatree" is derived from the words "neck of trees", as before the Great September Gale of 1815 struck, the entire peninsula was forested. Today, the beach is bare of trees, but covered in history.

The southern side of Napatree Point.

The beach is sandy in the beginning, but it's also covered in shells and ducks. At least fifty ducks were swimming along the coastline. There was also several bricks and concrete chunks in the sand. This is due to Fort Mansfield, but I'll explain this later.

Ducks!

Long strings of yellow rope are there to gate off portions of the dunes. As I said, this is conservation area, and it's there to help let the dunes grow back. Once the trail reaches the western end of the cape, it rises off of the coast onto rocks.

The western end of Napatree Point.

This area is covered in old pieces of brick and hardened clay. Large chunks of concrete also lay on the water. We also found a fishing rod and rusted knife on the rocks. All of the debris is from Fort Mansfield, which is deep within the bushes from here.

Battery Wooster from Battery Crawford.

Fort Mansfield was built in 1899, but it only lasted until 1917 when they realized that there was a major blind spot in the area that the guns couldn't shoot at. Battery Wooster and Battery Crawford are all that remain. All government buildings were demolished in 1928, and this is the source of all the bricks and concrete. Battery Connell wasn't demolished either, but due to the coastline of Napatree Point shrinking by 200 feet from then, the battery has been consumed by the tides.

Looking at Connecticut from Battery Crawford.

Unlike Fort Wetherill, this fort is very hard to access. There is a very tall fence surrounding the walls and large metal sheets covering the ladders. We were still able to access it. While Fort Wetherill is higher up and set for drainage, Fort Mansfield is neither of these things, and the lower halls and rooms are flooded. Also, the fort is named after Joseph K. Mansfield, an officer in the Mexican War who died in the Civil War.

Looking into a dank room under Battery Crawford.

After exploring, we trampled through the undergrowth and found ourselves back on the beach where we could see old wooden posts in the water at the site of Battery Connell. My sister also found a dead fish in the sand. It looks like a small shark, so if anyone knows what it is please identify it.

GALLERY

The northern side of Napatree Point with Watch Hill Cove to the right.

The coastline at Napatree Point.

Another portion of the north side.

Likely seagull footprints.

Debris of the government buildings.

The fishing rod and rusty knife.

Mind the glare in this photo of Battery Crawford.

Battery Wooster in the background.

A hallway in Battery Crawford.

Looking down Battery Wooster.

A worn staircase entering Battery Wooster.

Looking off of Battery Wooster.

Looking down on Battery Wooster.

All that remains of Battery Connell.

What kind of fish is it? If you know what it is then tell me.

One last photo of Napatree Point.

The walk back was calming and windy. Many people were walking alongside the monstrous waves. Kites were in the sky and surfers were in the ocean. This destination is just yet another remnant of coastal bases on the east coast. These types of places run from Texas to Maine, and many can be found in New England. Fort Wetherill was the first of many forts and batteries I will be visiting.

Fort Wetherill State Park

I never thought I could visit ocean cliffs and abandoned places at the same time. It turns out I did, and you can too! Fort Wetherill State Park is built around Fort Wetherill. Early fortifications date back to 1776, but Fort Wetherill itself began operating in 1899 and became abandoned in 1946, and its stayed the same ever since.

The grand staircase between two batteries.

We began at the southernmost portion of the fort. This area has been converted to a picnic area. Next to the entrance of the fort, there was a nice view looking into West Cove. The base had a lower passage leading to some rooms and hallways going to storage rooms.

Looking down a hallway in the lower passage. Notice the stalactites forming.

After going over the base, we came to the cliffs on the ocean where there were some great views looking south into the Atlantic Ocean. We thought these cliffs were pretty cool, but they were just the beginning.

Looking over to Newport.

Looking south with Castle Hill to the left.

There was another parking lot up the street that we parked at. We headed up to the Dumplings, which is where some bases dating back to the Revolutionary War used to be. We took in more views and found a small building. I have no idea what it was but I know this particular building doesn't date back to the 1700s. 

The small building atop the hill.

Looking back to the original fort.

Another trail at the parking lot lead to some taller cliffs. Very few signs of the fort remain in this location, but the cliffs were getting higher.

Another cove with a crevasse in the foreground.

After following a sandy beach, we traversed more rocky cliffs and took a walk into the woods onto a wide, flat trail. The trail was a pleasant walk, and it occasionally opened up to a nice vista looking far out into the distance.

The last peninsula with the crevasse to the right.

At the end of the cliff, there was a grouping of benches and clearings with great views. After this spot, we walked atop the cliffs and came to a steep and rocky bay. The trail lead to some high ledges and eventually brought us to the best place yet.

One of the benches in the scenic area.

When I saw an outline of a building, I knew we had arrived at the larger section of the fort. There are a ton of bases in this section. Every time you get to one, you look past it and see even more. The first one we arrived at had a view of the next few portions of the base.

Looking down from atop the base.

We entered a tunnel in the base. It went into the hillside for a good 20 feet and then zig-zagged around in there until we found are way out later. The main fort in this section is covered in graffiti and murals ranging from pleasant to horribly offensive. I've made and attempt to crop them out. Graffiti didn't distract too much from the main attraction.

A spot for a gun emplacement.

Under the base was a ton of underground hallways and storage rooms.The doorways going down was right on the side of the old gun mounts. When I say there were a lot of these I mean there were a lot!

The setting sun in the distance.

The batteries in this part of the fort all have distinct names. Going from east to west they're named Crittenden, Dickenson, Zook, Wheaton and Walbach. A battery is a fortified emplacement gun, which is usually found in these kinds of places. The two batteries on the first section of the base are called Cooke and Varnum.

GALLERY

One of many cliffs we traversed.

Another crevasse in the cliff side. 

A large ledge atop one of the cliffs.

A very steep cove. In the trees lies the base.

A island-like peninsula.

View from a large, bald rock.

This is likely a watch building next to the first of many batteries. 

The tunnel we ended up following.

Atop the first battery.

Underground one of the batteries.

A random part of the base.

Looking over to Newport from the fort.

Likely battery Walbach.

A view from the lower deck.

Another hidden room in the base.

Yet another deep battery.

Looking out of a dim cell.

A staircase leading to the tunnels.

Looking up at the lower deck from a path.

A final shot of the infamous staircase.

This day was incredible. I honestly don't know what was better, the cliffs or the fort. If you can identify any structures I wasn't able to name, please tell me what they are. I will definitely be returning again. If you find yourself in the Newport/Jamestown area and you have some spare time, I would recommend coming here and spending your time wisely.