Fort Box Well Marker
NYC, New York, USA
391 Pacific St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, USA
MARKER
VISITOR INFORMATION
Free fort marker; visible from the public area at any time, subject to local access rules.
A roadside historical marker, free to read at any time. There is no parking area or restroom at the marker itself, so pull over only where it is safe to do so.
SITE FEATURES
Exhibits & Artifacts
Ruins
Peak visitation season unconfirmed. No reliable site-specific monthly attendance pattern was established.
May-June or September-October for the Fort Box well marker in generally milder Brooklyn weather. Locate the plaque near Pacific and Bond streets and use the permitted public approach.
HISTORIC SITES NEARBY
Nearby Historic Sites
miles
Landmark
WHO WAS HERE
5
George Washington
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
Henry Clinton
James Grant
About Fort Box Well Marker
Fort Box was constructed in 1776 as part of the connected American defenses protecting Brooklyn Heights. British forces captured the position during the Battle of Brooklyn in August, forcing Washington’s army to withdraw to Manhattan. A well discovered near this site is believed to have served the fort and survives as archaeological evidence of the defensive line.
A well discovered during construction in 2017 remains after the project was redesigned. Its association with Fort Box is believed rather than established. Verification should distinguish the surviving well from the lost fort's extent and confirm present conservation arrangements.
History happened here at Fort Box Well Marker
Fort Box was constructed in 1776 as part of the connected American defenses protecting Brooklyn Heights. British forces captured the position during the Battle of Brooklyn in August, forcing Washington’s army to withdraw to Manhattan. A well discovered near this site is believed to have served the fort and survives as archaeological evidence of the defensive line. An 18th century well that was about 35-feet deep and still contained water was discovered adjacent to this site in 2017 during construction. The well is believed to be associated with Fort Box, which was one of a line of entrenchments built as part of a Revolutionary War defense system. Fort Box was captured by the British in the August 1776 Battle of Brooklyn. The construction project was redesigned and the well is still present.
PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE
PEOPLE WHO DIED HERE
PEOPLE AT REST HERE
EXTERNAL LINKS
Historical Marker Database, Fort Box well marker: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183066
New York State Military Museum, Fort Box: https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/forts/box
Boerum Hill Association, neighborhood history and Fort Box: https://boerumhillassociation.org/uploads/Boerum_Hill__-_A_New_York_Community__Butson.pdf
Brooklyn Paper, discovery of the historic well: https://www.brooklynpaper.com/historic-holdover-watering-hole-found-in-bhill-ground-may-date-to-revolution/
Read the Plaque, 18th-century well: https://lfom1.faith.read-the-plaque.appspot.com/plaque/an-18th-century-well