FORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITE INSTALLATION ID: MA19799F905600
FORT AT EASTERN POINT
gloucester, Massachusetts
Total Cost
$0
Money spent on the evaluation and cleanup of hazardous sites at this installation.
Completion Date
2009
The date the DOD says cleanup of all sites was completed. Long term monitoring may continue after this date.
The former Fort at Eastern Point is located in Gloucester Massachusetts. In June 1863, the United States acquired the right to use approximately 53 acres in Gloucester, Massachusetts from Thomas Niles, according to Joseph E Garland, author of... see more » The former Fort at Eastern Point is located in Gloucester Massachusetts. In June 1863, the United States acquired the right to use approximately 53 acres in Gloucester, Massachusetts from Thomas Niles, according to Joseph E Garland, author of Eastern Point- A Nautical, Rustical, and Social Chronicle of Gloucester's Outer Shield and Inner Sanctum, 1606-1950. Military use is corroborated by a map of military origin showing the site circa 1864. The Corps of Engineers, New England Division (CENED) does not know the nature, terms, or the exact boundaries of this acquisition. The Army constructed an earthwork fort on site between July and November 1863 in the shape of a parallelogram, approximately 150 feet long and 300 feet wide. When completed, the earthwork contained three magazines constructed from timber and sod, seven embrasures for cannons, bomb-proof quarters and seven casemate thirty-two pounders. By February 1864, the Army also constructed two timber-framed buildings used as a hospital and a combined barracks and mess hall. The Army garrisoned the site between November 1863 and July 1865 and used the fort to defend Gloucester Harbor. By 15 Apnl1869, the Army removed the timber-framed buildings, the guns, and the stores from the site. According to Garland, the United States returned control of the site to the owner, Thomas Niles, on 15 April 1869. CENED has been unable to locate any agreement between the United States and Thomas Niles regarding the use of the site, therefore, CENED is not aware of any recapture clauses, restoration provisions or other special conditions which may have been part of such an agreement. Four parties currently own the portion of the site in the vicinity of the remnants of the fort. Jonathan and Linda Baird (5.15 acres), Gordon Baird Jr. and Joe Ann Tybe Hart (6.46) acres, and Elise Wallace (4.60 acres) and Massachusetts Audubon Society (Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) « see less
Below are the locations of hazardous sites associated with this military installation, according to the DOD. A site’s contamination may affect a much larger area, including public and private lands and the water supplies beneath them.
High Risk
Medium Risk
Low Risk
Risk Not Evaluated or Not Required
Response Complete
We haven't independently confirmed the location of every site. If you notice a site placed at the incorrect location, please contact us.
Not all sites in the DOD data include location information, so there may be sites listed below that are missing from the map. The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD to prioritize the cleanup of sites.
1 Inactive Site
Sites where military cleanup actions are complete, according to the DOD. Note that this status does not necessarily mean the site is no longer hazardous, as many of these sites are put under long-term monitoring or other restrictions.
Site ID: 01OEW
D01MA056201O_FORT AT EASTERN P
Unexploded Munitions and Ordnance Area
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2009
Update (Dec. 5, 2017): We have changed the source of the installation cost data after being notified by the Department of Defense that they erroneously reported their own cost figures on the DERP website. We are now displaying the costs the department says are the most accurate available, from the Pentagon’s DERP database that we received in a FOIA request.
Note: The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD to prioritize the cleanup of sites.
Data: All data comes from the Defense Environmental Restoration Program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and will be released soon at the ProPublica Data Store. Read our methodology »