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Historic Site | Fort/Outpost

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Location of coastal defenses constructed by joint Franco-American forces.

Rhode Island
1 Washington Street Newport, RI 02840
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Newport, RI

Fort Hamilton is an 18th–19th-century coastal fortification that occupies the island beneath and around the Rose Island Lighthouse. It includes bombproof barracks, bastions, remnants of WWI and WWII naval use, and the lighthouse, built in 1869 atop an unfinished bastion. The fort’s surviving structures (barracks, magazines, earthworks) are scattered around the island and accessible by footpaths.

After the British captured Newport in December 1776, they built defensive positions on the island. When they withdrew in October 1779, the Americans lacked the resources to maintain these defenses. The French then occupied Newport from July 1780 to June 1781 and rebuilt many defenses, including a large battery on Rose Island armed with 40 cannons.

The Jamestown Newport Ferry runs seasonally (typically May–October). It departs from Perrotti Park in downtown Newport.

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What's Nearby

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Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton
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French defensive position in Rhode Island

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First Franco-American operation of the Revolution

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Franco-American defensive position in Rhode Island

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Fort named for Lt. Col. William Barton

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