Upcoming History Tours and Presentations
at Fort Tilden and other Gateway Sites
Updated: October 8, 2000
16-inch coast artillery gun, Ft. Story, Va.
Photographer: Palmer, Alfred T.,1942 March
LIBRARARY OF CONGRESS CALL NUMBER: LC-USW36-9
REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-USW361-9 DLC (color film copy slide)
History tours and special presentations are conducted by the National Park Service at Gateway National Recreation Area. Reservations are required, so contact the appropriate telephone number below for reservations and additional information.
Click here to check the latest visitor program guide
Fort Tilden, Rockaway:
Call 718-318-4300 and meet at the Fort Tilden Visitor Center
(Bldg #1)
Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island:
Call 718-354-4500
Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ:
Call 732-872-5970
Note: A new book from the "Images of America" series explores
Sandy Hook and Fort Hancock. The book is available at Sandy Hook's
Eastern National Bookstores.
Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY:
Call 718-338-3799
Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY (Not a Park Service Location):
Call (718) 630-4349
Harbor Defense Museum
This US Army museum is located in the caponier of the old fort on the grounds of the United States Army Garrison at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY, adjacent to the base of the Verrazano Bridge. Now a national historic landmark, construction on old Fort Hamilton began in 1825. The fort underwent several structural modifications in the following century as advances in weaponry required the upgrading of its defenses and urban progress crowded its position. Fortunately, the land side of the fort still retains much of its original character and the caponier (a miniature fort guarding the main fort’s gate) is virtually untouched. The museum contains artifacts and exhibits that explain the history of the fort and its role in the defense of New York from invaders. The museum is handicapped accessible. Parking for cars is next to the museum. Bus parking is available on post. The museum office has an extensive research library on local and military history, which is open by appointment.
Collections: United States Army uniforms, accoutrements and equipment, edged weapons, small arms, cannon and munitions from 1800 to present; models, dioramas and miniatures of New York soldiers through history; artifacts relating to Fort Hamilton, the defense of New York City and the Coast Artillery.
Current & Future Exhibitions: Defense of New York City, New York Soldiers Through History: A Collection in Miniature, 24 pounder flank howitzer mounted in the caponier, walking tours of the fort’s defenses.
Museum hours are currently Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10:30 to 4 and the same hours the 2nd Sat of each month. Also, by appointment: (718) 630-4349
Admission: Free. Donations accepted.
Directions to Fort Hamilton:
From New York City take either the Brooklyn Bridge or the Battery Tunnel to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) to the Gowanus Expressway. Follow the signs to the Verrazano Bridge. Get off the last exit before the bridge, 92nd Street & Fort Hamilton. At the light make a right. Go one light to Fort Hamilton Parkway and make a left. Go to the end, which is 101st Street, and make a left under the Verrazano Bridge into the post. The MP at the guardhouse will direct you to the museum.
From Long Island take the Belt Parkway to Exit 2, 4th Avenue & 101st Street. Go three lights and make a right on 100th Street. Go one block to Fort Hamilton Parkway and make a right. Go one block to 101st Street and make a left under the Verrazano Bridge into the post. The MP at the guardhouse will direct you to the museum.
From New Jersey take the Staten Island Expressway to the Verrazano Bridge, get off the first exit, 92nd Street, and make a left at the light. Go two lights and make a left onto Fort Hamilton Parkway. Go to the end, which is 101st Street, and make a left under the Verrazano Bridge into the post. The MP at the guardhouse will direct you to the museum.
Please call the National Park Service for reservations and
directions to these events.
Be a Volunteer!
If you have an interest in the history of these sites, some spare time,
and the willingness to volunteer your time and talents, you are invited
to become a volunteer.
Fort Tilden
Volunteers are needed for the following activities:
Visitor Programs and Services
Trail Cutting and Maintenance
Educational Programs
Museums and Exhibits
Libraries and Research
Military History
Contact:
Gateway National Recreation Area
Breezy Point Unit
Building #1
Fort Tilden NY 11695
Attention: Nancy Corona
or call: (718) 318-4300
Floyd Bennett Field
Volunteers are needed for the following activities:
Visitor Programs and Services
Vintage Aircraft Restoration (HARP)
Educational Programs
Museums and Exhibits
Libraries and Research
Aviation History
Contact:
Gateway National Recreation Area
Jamaica Bay Unit
Floyd Bennett Field
Brooklyn NY 11234
Attention: Volunteers in Parks
or call: (718) 338-3799
Fort Wadsworth
Volunteers are needed for the following activities:
Visitor Programs and Services
Educational Programs
Museums and Exhibits
Libraries and Research
Military History
Historical Reenactments
Photography, Computers, and Graphic Design
Contact:
Gateway National Recreation Area
Staten Island Unit
210 New York Avenue
Staten Island NY 10305-5019
Attention: Volunteers in Parks
or call: (718) 354-4500