My Scratchbuilt U.S. Fort Montgomery Model

[DevilDan1900]

I started this crazy project about 3 years ago and have worked on it off and on. It's a model made entirely of several thousand matchsticks of a U.S. "Third System" or pre Civil War fort named Fort Montgomery. It was built in 1844 and was under nearly continuous construction for a period of roughly 30 years. The ruins of Fort Montgomery are just north of me on private property and were recently offered for sale by the owner on Ebay for around 3.5 million. No takers. The fort was originally built to mount 154 guns including 10" and massive 15" Rodman cannon. As far as I know, no one has ever built a model of it before, so I've been using old blueprints and photos as a guide. Please don't mind the dust.

[DevilDan1900]

Here is another photo with my template on top to give an idea of what it will look like once I add the barbette tier. I used a copy of the original blueprints and scaled them down to the size I wanted to use as a template. It worked really well and showed a complete layout of everything I needed, from doorways to gunports. The model measures about a foot square or so and once I've built up to the barbette tier, or top level, it will bristle with tiny cannon I've made for it as well.

[DevilDan1900]

Here is an actual photo of Fort Montgomery for comparison, taken from the air by a crewman aboard an early Navy flying boat in the 1920s. That long piece of earth that looks like an island directly behind the fortification is called the "cover face" and was entirely man made. That is actually almost higher than the rearward facing walls and was built to prevent an enemy from setting up fixed siege guns on the land and pounding the fort to rubble. The fort was actually only reachable from land by that tiny tree lined roadway you can see leading off at an angle between the cover face and the mainland. General Sherman actually visited this fort in the 1880s during an inspection of the Northern defenses and as I understand was quite impressed with it.

[DevilDan1900]

Here are some closeup shots of the interior or "parade" from a few different angles. Each one of those arched double doorways is about nine different pieces. These doors opened inward to allow gunsmoke and such to ventilate and escape from within the casemates when the 10" Rodman cannons were fired.

[DevilDan1900]

Here is another view accross the parade. Still a long way to go but it's finally starting to come together. Paint will also add alot once everything else is squared away. The walls on the upper or "barbette" tier are just there for mockup so far. Also from this view you can see the main entry, sometimes called the "sally port" or "postern" through the landfacing wall. In real life this doorway was 15 feet up in the air over a moat or "wet ditch" and only reachable by a mechanically retractable 20 foot drawbridge. Hope you enjoy.

[DOGFACE1944]

Here is another view accross the parade. Still a long way to go but it's finally starting to come together. Paint will also add alot once everything else is squared away. The walls on the upper or "barbette" tier are just there for mockup so far. Also from this view you can see the main entry, sometimes called the "sally port" or "postern" through the landfacing wall. In real life this doorway was 15 feet up in the air over a moat or "wet ditch" and only reachable by a mechanically retractable 20 foot drawbridge. Hope you enjoy.

 

Hey! Thats really awsome! You say that this fort is on private property? I wonder why the NPS was not interested (as if they would have 3.5m). Has anyone ever done an excavation there? Any archaology?

 

Thanks!

 

Mike

[DevilDan1900]

Mike, Thanks for the reply. There was an attempt by the current owner's father to give the fort and the land it's on to the State of New York back in the mid 80s FOR FREE, and the state turned it down. The fort remained armed until about 1901 or so, when the cannons were taken out. After that, the fort and adjacent property were sold by the government at auction in 1929. In 1936 -37, the new owners tore down three quarters of the walls and dumped the stone and brick into the lake to use as backfill for a nearby bridge construction project. The only part left standing today is what the construction company didn't need at the time. What a waste. Here are some shots of whats left. These are taken from the same angle as the 1920s black and white photo.

[DevilDan1900]

This is the one portion of the fortification that's still standing, originally known as "front II" (the name for the straight length of wall between the points that stick out) and bastions "B" and "C" (the two areas that stick out, with "B" being the one in the foreground). I have been inside what remains and it gives you quite the effect of what this fort once looked like. Unfortunately, what is left is in such a state of decay, both from time and the 1930s demolition, which weakened it significantly, one of these days what remains of Fort Montgomery will likely collapse into the lake.

[USMCRECON]

Nice history project there. It's a shame the fort has been so destroyed; even more of a shame that the destruction was a deliberate act and not the result of mere neglect. Then, of course, hindsight is always 20/20.

 

I'd certainly like to see pocs of the completed fort diorama.

[DevilDan1900]

Thanks, I haven't worked on it in a while, but I actually plan on doing a full diorama, as you mentioned, showing the coverface and access road behind the fort.

[rayg]

Thanks, I haven't worked on it in a while, but I actually plan on doing a full diorama, as you mentioned, showing the coverface and access road behind the fort.

 

 

DD, I just came across this and I am really impressed. Good job. Ray

[Sbas]

WOW thats impresive

 

We have a lot of comperable forts here in The Netherlands, they are part of the Hollandse Waterlinie, they are National Monuments and are protected. I wonder why they didnt protect that fort in the USA? Its a shame its demolished right now

 

sebas

[AndrewA74]

WOW!!! I can tell how much work went into this...my pateince would have been long gone after one hour... ...lol. I can't wait to see this model complete. I can't believe the Government didn't protect it. It would be nice to get the blueprints and rebuild it again.

Andrew

[cwnorma]

WOW!!! I can tell how much work went into this...my pateince would have been long gone after one hour... ...lol. I can't wait to see this model complete. I can't believe the Government didn't protect it. It would be nice to get the blueprints and rebuild it again.

Andrew

Andrew,

 

Sadly, you would be amazed how many of the early Coast Artillery fortifications have fallen into disrepair. Many Like Fort Montgomery, were demolished for building materials. Others were broken apart and used as harbor fill. Some have been declared bird sanctuaries and are no longer accessible. In a few very rare cases, they have been turned into museums or public parks. Unfortunately, most of the smaller forts, and secondary batteries have been destroyed or are on private land and are no longer acessible.

 

One of the best sites on the web about these old forts is the "Coastal Defense Study Group." If you poke around on their site you can find a list of Coast Artillery Forts and their current status.

 

Chris