A Brief History of
Battery Marcy: Fort H.G Wright
Fort H. G. Wright was created as a part of the Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound, as an effort to defend the eastern entrance of the Long Island Sound. By 1906, nine batteries were erected by on the southern tip of the island. Battery Marcy is located just due north east of the airport, as seen on the map attached. Battery Marcy was active for a very brief amount of time, from 1906-1917, with the larger bunkers undergoing further modernization. Fort H. G. Wright was deactivated in 1947 and vacant in 1948.
Once deactivated, ownership of Fort H. G. Wright and its approximate 297.23 acres was given to the General Services Administration. The dozens of buildings would go on to sit vacant for nine years before ultimately going up for public auction in 1958. This auction excluded the parcel of land south of Whistler Ave, which was granted to the town of Southold, Long Island, NY. The town then made the Fishers Island Ferry District the managers of the property. It is this parcel of land that Battery Marcy is located on.
Until recently Battery Marcy, has predominately served the FIFD, along with practicing graffiti artists. Through a partnership between the Fishers Island Ferry District and the Fishers Island Fire Department (FIFD). Since at least the 1960s the FIFD has been using fort Marcy as a training ground, filling its rooms and gun turrets with pallets, for test burns. While the FIFD has ceased using the ground for fires out of precaution for the surrounding environment, it still is utilized for its storage alternative of dialect vehicles.
