Guard House

This granite building is the original guard house for Fort Warren. It is set in to the earthen coverface on the exterior of the fort. A coverface is a high and long earthen mound whose steep angle would help to deflect and ricochet any incoming cannon balls as well as to shield the granite walls from any direct fire. This guardhouse is also located on the original entryway in to the fort interior. Until the early 1900’s this path was the only way for anyone coming to Fort Warren to enter the fort’s interior. To this day, this is still the primary walkway used by visitors and staff alike when entering the fort. Originally this would have had two rooms on either side with fireplaces and quarters for the guards with a hall in the middle. Over the years this building also served to house prisoners, a prisoner’s mess hall, and general storage. It is the earliest of three guardhouses at Fort Warren, and the only one that still survives. A free-standing guardhouse was built directly across from the original one by the late 1800's. Today it houses displays that talk about the design and construction of Fort Warren.