Newport RI - From the Vault #8
Check out this old Fort Adams map!
The Newport RI Vault has been opened up once again... This time we've come across an incredible old map of
My grandfather actually lived in the fort as a child, as his father (my great-grandfather) served here beginning in 1924. After hearing so many stories about life inside the fort from my family over the years, it was great to be able to see where some of these places were.
Click on the photo above or below to enlarge it. Here's what it says in the bottom right corner, if you can't make it out:
Office of the Post Engineer
Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay
Fort Adams - Rhode Island
FORT ADAMS, RI
Drawn Nielsen - Date 20 Dec 1946
The date could also be 1948. It's difficult to make out.
In the photo below, I've labeled some points of interest in red.
If you zoom in on this next photo, you can see exactly where my grandfather lived with his family.
They lived in the Casemate NCO Quarters, at one point in Unit# 41 A-B (just to the left as you enter through the east gate) and at another in Unit #47.
***UPDATE - October 2011***
Thanks to the photo below, we now have the evidence that my grandfather did live in Unit #47. That's him in front of the family residence, in either his late teens or early 20's (late 1930's or early 1940's).
If you click on the image you'll see the number 47 in the upper left corner and "M. SGT. DUGAN" above the door.
Even with all the stories I'd heard, I never realized how many different things were actually here at the fort. With all of the following inside, it really was like its own self-contained city:
- Hospital
- Chapel
- Theater
- Jail house
- Fire station
- Barber shop
- Officers club
To see the exact locations of all of these places on the map, check out the lists of permanent and temporary buildings by clicking on each photo below.
Permanent Buildings
Temporary Buildings
Well, that's about it for now. I hoped you enjoyed seeing this interesting little piece of Fort Adams (and my family's) history.
For more on historic Fort Adams, click here to view the main page.
Return from Newport RI - From the Vault #8 to From the Vault #7 - Historic Fort Adams
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