Fort Trumbull, the third fort built on this promontory known as Mamacock or Fort Neck, was constructed between 1839 and 1852 to protect New London Harbor as part of a broad federal system of coastal fortification. Granite from the quarry at Millstone Point was used for its massive walls. Three walls, with four bastions projecting for the corners, face the water to defend against naval attack, while the ravelin, an angular stone structure, protected the entrance in the event of an attack on land. Cannon mounted in chambers called casemates fired through wall openings called embrasures, and cannon were also mounted on top of the walls. During the Civil War, the fort served as a recruiting station, and afterward artillery companies were stationed there until 1907, when the army downgraded it to a supply post because three newer forts on islands at the entrance to Long Island Sound had become more strategically important. Built in the Egyptian Revival style, its entrance resembles those of Egyptian temples and tombs, and Captain George Cullum of the Army Corps of Engineers directed its construction.

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

New London, Connecticut · USA