Fort Crockett

Fort Crockett (1897-1953) - An Endicott Period Coastal Fort first established in 1897. Named after David Crockett, hero of the Alamo. Declared surplus and transferred to the GSA in 1953.

Fort Crockett Headquarters Building

Fort Crockett Barracks Buildings

Fort Crockett History

Established as a part of the Harbor Defense of Galveston.

Endicott Period

Construction began on the three Endicott Period gun batteries in 1897 and the fort was first garrisoned by Battery G, 1st U.S. Artillery in 1898. The hurricane of 8 Sep 1900 severely damaged the island and the fort and it was not restored until 1906-07. Twenty-nine of the 129 soldiers housed at the fort lost their lives in that hurricane. In 1911 the Fort was re-garrisoned and the three refurbished gun batteries were accepted for service by the Coast Artillery, all on 21 Aug 1911.

Fort Crockett Endicott Period Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Notes
Battery Izard	8	12"	Mortar	1897-1???-1911-1943	Destroyed
Battery Hampton	2	10"	Disappearing	1897-1???-1911-1943	Destroyed
Battery Laval	2	3"	Masking Parapet	1897-1???-1911-1920	Partly visible built into seawall
Source: CDSG

Fort Crockett Plan

World War I

Fort Crockett served as a US Army artillery training center and replacement depot during World War I.

Fort Crockett World War I Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Notes
Battery Hoskins	2	12"	Casemated Barbette	1917-1921-1921-1946	Casemated in World War II Completed 20 Aug 1944
Source: CDSG

World War II

Fort Crockett's coastal gun batteries were upgraded during World War II with the major improvement being the casemating of the 12" guns of Battery Hoskins. The casemating of Battery Hoskins began in 1942 and was completed in 1943 under strict security. The urgency of the project was brought about by German Submarines operating in the Gulf of Mexico along the shipping lanes off Texas.

Starting in 1943 Fort Crockett was a prisoner of war camp that housed a total of 650 POWs. The camp encompassed the area from 53rd Street to 57th Street and from Avenue Q to Seawall Boulevard. The camp operated until Fort Crockett was deactivated in 1946.

Current Status

Mostly over built with commercial development, some emplacements can still be seen. No period guns or carriages in place.

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Location: Galveston Island, Texas. Maps & Images Lat: 29.2745877 Long: -94.8126367 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: '

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 761
• [http://galveston.ssp.nmfs.gov/aboutus/fortcrockett/index.html NOAA - Fort Crockett
• Gaines, William, The Seacoast Defenses of Galveston, Texas, The Coast Defense Journal, Vol 21, Issue 4, Nov 2007, page 4
• Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library

Links:

• North American Forts - Galveston

Visited: 12 Nov 2009

Fort Crockett Picture Gallery

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!

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  Fort Crockett Commanding Officer's Quarters
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  Fort Crockett Theater
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  Fort Crockett Barracks Mess Hall
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  Fort Crockett Officer's Quarters
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  Fort Crockett Officer's Quarters