Inside Fort Carroll, an abandoned citadel on the Patapsco
Fort Carroll is an abandoned 19th-century military installation in the Patapsco River. Development proposals, both public and private, have fallen through over the years, and the island has been overrun by thousands of birds. But members of the family that owns Fort Carroll, a 3.45-acre island that lies southeast of the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge, still have hopes for it.
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- Fort Carroll in 1928. (Baltimore Sun File Photo)
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- Fort Carroll in 1928. (Baltimore Sun File Photo)
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- Fort Carroll in 2009. (Lloyd Fox, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Fort Carroll in 1948. (Baltimore Sun File Photo)
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- Birds fly over the east entrance to Fort Carroll in 2004. (Chris Detrick, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Fort Carroll in 1974. (Weyman Swagger, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Fort Carroll, abandoned on the Patapsco River, is occupied by birds in 2012. (Kim Hairston, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Inside Fort Carroll in 1968. (Baltimore Sun File Photo)
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- Fort Carroll in 1977. (Baltimore Sun File Photo)
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- A seagull sits in the window on the east wall of Fort Carroll Sunday evening. Fort Carroll, an abandoned fortress island just south of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. in 2004. (Chris Detrick, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Fort Carroll in 2009. (Lloyd Fox, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Fort Carroll in 1976. (Baltimore Sun File Photo)
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- A cutter passes the light at Fort Carroll in 1947. (Hans Marx, The Baltimore Sun)
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- A flock of birds rest on top of a tree on the south end of Fort Carroll in 2004. (Chris Detrick, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Fort Carroll in 1929. (Baltimore Sun File Photo)
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- Fort Carroll, abandoned on the Patapsco River, is occupied by birds in 2012. (Kim Hairston, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Replicas of guns used at the fortress when it was build more than 100 years ago had to be forged at a foundry solely for that purpose on the 3-1/2 acre island. More than 80 concrete guns were built in this manner. (Robert F. Kniesche, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Prospective buyers tour Fort Carroll in 1968. (Walter McCardell, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Ben Eisenberg, whose family owns the island, poses for a photograph on Fort Carroll in 1961. (Robert F. Kniesche, The Baltimore Sun)
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- Replicas of guns used at the fortress when it was build more than 100 years ago had to be forged at a foundry solely for that purpose on the 3-1/2 acre island. More than 80 concrete guns were built in this manner. (Robert F. Kniesche, The Baltimore Sun)
Maryland seeks historic status for Fort Carroll
By Arthur Hirsch, The Baltimore Sun
10:17 a.m. EDT, April 13, 2013
When she thinks of Fort Carroll, the abandoned 19th-century military installation in the Patapsco River, Beverly Eisenberg thinks of her grandfather — and of duckpin bowling balls.
She visited the six-sided artificial island as a little girl, just a few years after her grandfather bought the place in 1958 hoping to turn it into a destination with a slots casino, hotel and restaurants. He was making cast-iron facsimiles of the cannons that once armed the fort, and the cannons needed cannon balls — duckpin balls that she would paint black and set up at the guns to help Benjamin N. Eisenberg nurture a dream.
His casino plan ultimately ended foiled when a judge ruled that the abandoned fort is in Baltimore County, not Anne Arundel, where slots were legal at the time. Other development proposals, both public and private, fell through over the years, and the island has been overrun by thousands of birds. But members of the Eisenberg family still own Fort Carroll, a 3.45-acre island that lies southeast of the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge, and they still have hopes for it.
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Ray Scott
Nov 30, 2017 @ 12:52:38
Fort Carroll did have guns and was an active harbor defense installation for about twenty years along with Forts Howard, Smallwood and Armistead. Look carefully at the aerial views and you can see where they demolished the original east facing wall and built cast concrete batteries. You can also see a fire control tower. I believe there were two 12-inch, two 8-inch and two 4.7 inch guns there between 1898 and 1917.
PS The tunnel between Forts Carroll and Armistead is an urban myth.
mar
Jul 30, 2017 @ 22:52:57
What a shame, America does not keep the history . That place could be a lovely place for tourist .
DQ
Apr 16, 2013 @ 09:47:12
Part of me would love to see it restored, part of me thinks–hey, it’s become a habitat for local birds and other wildlife, why not leave it that way?
cynical ahole
Apr 15, 2013 @ 19:38:44
This island will be under water in 20 years.
cyberfool
Apr 15, 2013 @ 15:51:50
The only sea gull is Johnathan Livingston Seagull. Otherwise it is just a “gull”, or you could identify the specific species of gull.
As for concrete fake cannons, they weren’t “forged”, except in the sense that they are “forgeries”. They were cast. Forging (other than counterfit kind) involves metal.
jtyler
Apr 14, 2013 @ 21:50:16
Image 18 is of Fort Carroll in Washington, D.C., which was built on east of the Anacostia/Potomac as part of the ring of fortifications constructed during the Civil War.
Image 19 is again either Fort Carroll in D.C. or its neighboring fortification to the south; Fort Greble.
Stokely Baksh
Apr 15, 2013 @ 13:20:08
You are correct. We apologize for the error and have removed the two photos that were misidentified in the series. Thanks for your note.
Carol Schmidt
Apr 14, 2013 @ 12:58:45
I would love to go onto this island. I have always been fascinated with it. Can you just imagine an archiological (yes, I spelled that wrong) dig could find in the depths of that land? So, so much history.