Fort Miller (Massachusetts)

Fort Miller/Fort Darby
Naugus Head, Marblehead, Massachusetts
<div class="thumbinner" style="width:px; border-color:infobox;"> <div style="position: absolute; top: %; left: 1842.5%; height: 0; width: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> Fort Miller/Fort Darby Location in Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°31′12″N 70°51′43″W
Type	Coastal Defense
Site information
Owner	private
Controlled by	Town of Marblehead
Site history
Built	circa 1629-1632
In use	circa 1632-1900
Demolished	circa 1900?
Battles/wars	American Revolution War of 1812 American Civil War

This article is about the fort in Marblehead, Massachusetts. For the fort in California, see Fort Miller, California.

Fort Miller (originally Fort Darby or Darby's Fort) was a coastal defense fort in Marblehead, Massachusetts, in existence circa 1630-1900.

History

The fort was Marblehead's first fort, originally built circa 1629-1632 by colonial forces under the direction of acting Governor of Massachusetts John Endecott. The location was on Naugus Head at the northwest corner of Marblehead's peninsula. It was initially named Fort Darby or Darby's Fort, allegedly after a similar head of land at Derby, Dorsetshire, England. It was used in the American Revolution. It was subsequently repaired for the War of 1812 as a lookout post and drill area for nearby Fort Sewall. It was rebuilt as a five-gun battery and renamed as Fort Miller for the Civil War, later serving through the Spanish-American War, after which the fort was probably demolished.

See also

• Fort Sewall

References

• Roberts, Robert B. (1988). Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-926880-X.