{"id":291,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:57:15","latitude":41.50259940794899904403791879303753376007080078125,"longitude":-71.3983925796400171748246066272258758544921875,"title":"Ft. Greble on Dutch Island","subtitle":"","fullsize":"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/34c074b76dc350e7bdb5e47535fcede5.jpg","address":"","all_locations":[],"zoom":15,"creator":["The Jamestown Historical Society"],"description":"Dutch Island, in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, is an uninhabited, irresistible place that for decades has lured local kids across the water to camp or climb around the remains of what was once an impressive, self-sufficient, military fortification named Ft. Greble.
\r\n
\r\nNamed for John T. Greble, the first U.S. Military Academy graduate to die in the Civil War, Fort Greble was established as an Endicott fortification in 1897 and was part of the RI Coastal Defense. The fortifications were open-topped reinforced, concrete walls protected by sloped earthworks with large-caliber breech-loading artillery and mortar batteries.
\r\n
\r\nIn 1898, troops arrived and the construction of permanent housing and facilities began and continued for five years. Barracks for over 300 enlisted men were constructed as well as significant homes for officers and their families. A 12-bed Post Hospital was built in 1904, and at one point, temporary buildings housed as many as 495 men. There were two large docks, a tennis court, a commissary, a bowling alley, and a bakery that provided 280 rations daily. Letters from home were important to soldiers and a post office was established in 1910.
\r\n
\r\nIn the early 1900s, Jamestown was a bustling summer destination. The town boasted five resort hotels on its eastern side. On its western side, Jamestown and Ft. Greble were inextricably linked via underwater communication and power cables. The Jamestown Ferry, carrying visitors to the mainland and back, displayed a panoramic view of the impressive structures on the little island. Particularly notable were the large warehouses along the shore close to where the troops disembarked on arrival.
\r\n
\r\nTwo batteries at Ft. Greble remained armed at the beginning of WWII but were considered obsolete by 1942. Today, only concrete defense positions of the once powerful weapons remain. Dutch Island is currently closed to the public. Since 2015, the Army Corps of Engineers has been securing the remaining structures so that visitors may visit safely.
","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"
\"Dearest Friend Elsie, say sweetheart we had our pictures taken, all 14 of us and they are good ones, I will send you one, please send me yours. Please write to me two or three times a week. I am always so lonesome and so glad to hear from you, your friend, Clarence.\"
\n
-Postcard, Sept. 30, 1913, Ft. Greble
","website":"","related_resources":[],"factoids":["Tip:
","Tip:
","Tip:
"],"files":{"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/34c074b76dc350e7bdb5e47535fcede5.jpg":{"id":1219,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Raising the Flag at Ft. Greble, July 1924","description":"The flag is shown reverence by raising it every morning and lowering it every evening. This long military tradition is part of life at all military installations, even today. | https://jamestown.pastperfectonline.com/photo/48581212-DF24-40CE-98A1-004531681500","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/34c074b76dc350e7bdb5e47535fcede5.jpg"},"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/4752c0de96770c102cfe785c1f14a793.jpg":{"id":1220,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Artillery Soldiers, July 1922","description":"Rhode Island National Guard deploys from one of the large docks where transports and ferries tied up for embarkation or demarcation. The large docks could handle vehicles, horses, and hundreds of men. Jamestown is in the background. | https://jamestown.pastperfectonline.com/photo/35939D2E-1975-44CE-90E0-355157251542","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/4752c0de96770c102cfe785c1f14a793.jpg"},"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/c9e28dab6b406f5e14bf6dc9ced895a5.jpg":{"id":1221,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Lecture, July 1922","description":"Capt. C.H. Fleck gives members of the 346th Company a training lecture. Remnants of the 30' tall fire commander's station behind them can still be found on the island. Also visible is one of the officer's quarters. | https://jamestown.pastperfectonline.com/photo/416B0D7B-8C57-47AA-BB33-561917421139","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/c9e28dab6b406f5e14bf6dc9ced895a5.jpg"},"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/f421a3f2b05ba67607f87ccdd17ba16e.jpg":{"id":1222,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Ft. Greble's Barracks, c. 1910","description":"The arched red brick building to the right, often erroneously referred to by locals as the hospital, was always a special landmark, parts of it remain today. The two large wooden buildings on the left were barracks that could house up to 250 men. | https://jamestown.pastperfectonline.com/photo/1B3126E7-990A-4F42-A615-828774461240","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/f421a3f2b05ba67607f87ccdd17ba16e.jpg"},"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/789d8d25bff0204a31d536f12ba6686b.jpg":{"id":1223,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Officers' Row, c. 1901","description":"The homes of officers were built along a macadam road uphill from the dock areas. A tennis court was laid out in front of them and the colors from a nearby 75 foot flagstaff could readily be seen from Jamestown. | https://jamestown.pastperfectonline.com/photo/A4D1D388-359E-45D4-8A0D-782863414831","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/789d8d25bff0204a31d536f12ba6686b.jpg"}}}