History of the Fort & Trust

Historic Fort Adams

Newport is the only deep-water harbor between Boston and New York, so it was critical to defend the entry to Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. Historic Fort Adams had an earlier iteration on the property in 1799; however, the construction of the current Fort was in 1824 and was completed in 1857. Soldiers were stationed at Fort Adams by 1841, even before construction was completed.

Fort Adams was named after President John Adams, and it is the largest and one of the most complex coastal fortifications in the United States. The Fort was never attacked directly, due to its formidable design. Fort Adams was the second fort constructed under the Third System, after Fort Monroe in Virginia. Historic Fort Adams is a prime example of French military architecture prevalent in early 19th century fortifications.

It was designed by French military engineer, Simon Bernard, who served as Napoleon’s aide. The Fort was designed to mount 468 cannons and house 2400 troops. U.S. Army Officer Lt. Col. Joseph Totten was appointed the first Chief Engineer of the Army Corp. of Engineers and supervised the Fort’s construction from 1825-1838. Totten recruited Irish immigrants to provide manpower to construct the Fort.

The fort was active in five major wars – the Mexican American War (1846–1848), American Civil War (1861–1865), Spanish American War (1898), World War I (1917–1918), and World War II (1941–1945), although it never saw combat. During World War II, Fort Adams was used as a training center for antiaircraft artillery units. Additionally, President Dwight D, Eisenhower stayed at the Fort’s commanding officer’s house (now called the Eisenhower House) when he summered in Newport in the 1950’s.  The fort was decommissioned in 1953 and the U.S. Army transferred ownership of the property to the U.S. Navy.

In 1965, the Fort and most of the surrounding land was transferred to the State of Rhode Island to create Fort Adams State Park. As a testament to its significance related to its architectural, engineering and military history, Fort Adams was listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) from 1971-1974. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) in 1976. From the early 1950s until the mid-1970s, Fort Adams fell victim to neglect, weather, and vandalism.

The Fort Adams Trust

Fort Adams Trust is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization founded in 1994 to partner with the State to manage and operate the Fort while seeking and earning revenue to support renovation and preservation efforts. Despite significant restoration efforts over the past 30 years, currently 80% of the Fort remains inaccessible to the public and is in a state of disrepair. The Fort Adams Trust carries out our mission through programming such as daily tours, private & group tours, group overnights, site rentals and special events. Without the Trust, Fort Adams would remain closed to the public.

In summer of 2024, the Fort Adams Trust revised our strategic plan where we realigned our mission to preserve and revitalize historic Fort Adams for the public’s benefit. Our vision is to be a valued, open, accessible historic destination that anchors our community. Our goal is to historically restore and open the whole Fort for the public. Part of our goals include enhancing safety standards and expanding visitor accessibility to new areas of the Fort.

The Eisenhower House