Fort Trumbull, Part 4
For the 250th anniversary of the United States, I took a three-day patriotic trip to the Thames River National Heritage Park in Groton and New London, CT. On Day 1, I spent the morning touring Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, which included its monument, museum, and the interior of the fort, followed by an early afternoon boat tour, and a visit to Avery-Copp House (first part, second part). After making several quick history stops around Groton, I finished the day at UCONN Avery Point. The second day began at Fort Trumbull in New London. In the first part of this four-part mini series, I learned the architectural history of the fort and explore its interior. In the second part, I explored the views around the fort and informational signage about the wars in which the fort served. In the third part, I described features outside the fort. In this final part, I talk about the visitor center museum, the officers quarters, barracks, and nearby memorials.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The space is much more expansive than one might expect with extensive signage, dioramas, mannequins, interactives, and artifacts throughout the space. Among the most interesting signs was a description of other events that happened in 1781, the same year as the Siege of Yorktown. Several famous books, such as the second part of History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon were published, while the planet Uranus was discovered by astronomer John Frederick William Herschel, who wanted to name it after King George III. Detailed dioramas showed who the shape of the fort changed over time, while additional signage described the source of its materials. The granite was from nearby Millstone Point Quarry near Graniteville, Waterford, CT. Another sign described Fort Adams, the crown jewel designed by General Joseph Gilbert Totten, which I visited in August 2024.
Perhaps the most fun for the young and young at heart were the digital interactives. One touch screen paired with a larger screen allowed visitors to design their own fort and be graded based on their decision making. I did receive a perfect score on my second try, once I realized the game was set in a fantasy world where the government had no budgetary limits. Another console taught visitors how submarine detection worked in World War II, but I had to put my MA in Museum Education to use to actually understand what was happening, so it was likely not accessible to the average visitor. A wooden bench embedded with speakers told the first part of the Mark Twain story, “A Curious Experience”. Mannequins throughout the space demonstrated the uniforms for various jobs, including Union soldier in the Civil War, radar detector in the Cold War, and cartographer in the Cold War.
The visitor center is housed in the Officers’ Quarters, constructed around 1830 and serving as living quarters until 1995, when the space was converted into houses. The building was renovated and enlarged by 2000. Just next door, the park offices and rather disappointing giftshop are housed in the Barracks constructed of granite around 1830. It served this purpose until 1915, when the property transferred to the Coast Guard Academy, and the building became offices. In 2000, the wooden half of the building was replaced with stone. Not far from the fort are two memorials of different purposes. The larger of the two commemorates the 15,000 students who graduated from United States Maritime Service Officers School, which once used Fort Trumbull as its campus. The smaller memorial was dedicated from the School to Moses Rogers on May 22, 1944. Captain Rodgers and his crew began the first steam-powered hybrid vessel crossing of the Atlantic ocean on May 22, 1819. Maritime enthusiast and 32nd president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, created United States National Maritime Day as an unofficial holiday on May 22, 1933. After spotting this unique memorial, I was ready to move on to my next stop.
