{"nrhp_refnum":"73000320","name":"Fort Pickering","other_names":["Fort William","Fort Anne"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Winter Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"Salem","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.52676090700004,"lon":-70.90005141599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-02-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Fort Pickering is a coastal fort site of about two acres on the eastern and southern side of Winter Island, at the western approach to Salem Harbor in Salem, Massachusetts. The present structures date from 1863, on a site fortified by 1644.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest remaining fortified site in Salem and one of the oldest in Massachusetts. It was in use from the colonial period through the Revolution, was rebuilt by the federal government in 1794 and 1864, and was garrisoned in the Spanish American War in 1898. The frigate Essex was built under the protection of its guns in 1799.","narrative":"Fort Pickering occupies roughly two acres on the eastern and southern side of Winter Island, a 38-acre island on the western side of Salem Harbor connected to Salem Neck by a causeway. Defenses stood here by 1644, first as simple earth and wood works, and the site was later known as Fort William and Fort Anne. In 1774 it garrisoned the 59th British Regiment, and during the Revolution it protected Salem's large fleet of privateers. Salem ceded the ground to the United States in 1794, and the fort was renamed in 1799 for Timothy Pickering, a Salem resident who served as Secretary of War and Secretary of State. The frigate Essex was built under its guns that year. The federal government rebuilt the fort in 1863-64, and it was garrisoned again in 1898. Surviving features include an earth-covered block house with brick vaults, a granite wall, earthen embankments and a tall mound. The remains are ruinous but restorable.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Present structures built in 1863 by the Department of War; 1794 fort begun under engineer S. Rochefontaine","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Structures are generally in a ruinous but restorable condition; the fort was later abandoned after the Spanish American War, and the site is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:53.966726-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/33/7950/63795033/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000320.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000320/fd20733620-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000320/fd20733620-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SalemMA_FortPickering_Bunker.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SalemMA_FortPickering_Bunker.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795033","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Pickering","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5471823"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/fort-pickering-73000320/"}