ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2020
Fort Terry, Plum Island, N.Y.
Fort Terry was established on Plum Island in Gardiners Bay east of Orient Point, L.I. on land purchased by the U.S. Government in 1897 and 1901. The Fort was a vital link in the chain of fortifications guarding the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. Following the deactivation of the Fort in 1949, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened the Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory (PIADC) on Plum Island in 1956 to research animal pathogens. More than 50 years later, in 2008, an Act of Congress declared that PIADC be closed and Plum Island sold to the highest bidder in order to facilitate a move to a more modern and more secure facility in Kansas. Given Plum Island’s diverse natural history and historical resources, this mandated sale has triggered opposition from a wide spectrum of groups, public officials and individuals. The outcome of the legal and political struggle to keep Plum Island off the auction block hangs in the balance and all concerned citizens should join the fight to preserve Plum Island.
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- “View of Fort Terry, N.Y.” Fort Terry was established on Plum Island in Gardiners Bay east of Orient Point, L.I. on land purchased by the U.S. Government in 1897 and 1901. The Fort was a vital link in the chain of fortifications guarding the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. Postcard published by Valentine-Souvenir Post Card Co., circa 1913. Courtesy of the H.L. Ferguson Museum Collection.
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- “Fort Terry-DI Plum Island, N.Y.” Edition of Mar. 3, 1919 with revisions. This map is useful for tracking the locations of both the buildings and batteries of Fort Terry. Map source: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Coast Defense Study Group (CDSG).
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- Soldiers posing on a disappearing gun at Fort Terry, June 20, 1908. Plum Island had gun batteries for 3, 5, 6, and 10-inch guns, as well as 12-inch mortars. Photo courtesy of the H.L. Ferguson Museum Collection.
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- “Waiting for the Crash, 1911,” Soldiers firing a 12-inch mortar at Battery Stoneman, Fort Terry. Photo courtesy of the H.L. Ferguson Museum Collection.
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- First contingent of troops leaving for France from dock at Fort Terry, 1918. Fort Terry was active during both World Wars, less so in between. Photo courtesy of the H.L. Ferguson Museum Collection.
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- Barracks, Fort Terry, circa 1945. With Fort Terry’s armament rendered obsolete by atomic bombs and other military advancements, the post was declared inactive in 1948. The U.S. Government subsequently announced the disposal of the property by public sale which triggered considerable interest from private parties, businesses, and municipal authorities. Photo courtesy of the H.L. Ferguson Museum Collection.
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- “Landing Field, Ft. Terry,” date unknown. With bidders for the Fort Terry property still jockeying for position, the Army formally cancelled the sale of Plum Island in January 1952. Six months later, the Army revealed their interest in using the Island for military purposes, specifically research in germ warfare, but also in chemical and radiological warfare. The Department of Agriculture revealed its own proposal to operate a foot-and-mouth disease research center on Plum Island. By 1953, both the U.S. Army’s Chemical Corps and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) were sharing the Plum Island site. Photo courtesy of Mark Berhow, CDSG, date unknown.
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- Dedication program for the opening of the new Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory, September 26, 1956. After assuming control of Plum Island in 1954, the USDA opened its new facility in 1956. Dedication program courtesy of the H.L. Ferguson Museum Collection.
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- Aerial view of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) in October 1971. PIADC was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for research in animal pathogens. Photo courtesy of USDA/NARA.
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- “Environmental Impact Statement for the Public Sale of Plum Island, July 13, 2012, Draft.” After more than 50 years of usage, a possible move of PIADC to a more secure, more modern facility was first announced in the summer of 2005. By 2008, a specific potential site in Manhattan, Kansas was under public discussion. In December 2008, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that was signed into law directing the General Services Administration (GSA) to close PIADC, and sell the Plum Island property to the highest bidder to help fund the building of the new facility in Kansas. On August 29, 2013, the General Services Administration (GSA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a final “Record of Decision (ROD): Public Sale of Plum Island, New York.” Document courtesy of the GSA.
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- Save Plum Island poster, October 2012. The knowledge that a Plum Island sale might be forthcoming triggered opposition from a wide spectrum of groups, public officials and concerned citizens. Since the early 2010s, the Preserve Plum Island Coalition has grown to include more than 100 members dedicated to preserving Plum Island. The twists and turns of the legal and political struggles are too complex to chronicle in this exhibition, but can easily be researched online. The bottom line is that the fight for Plum Island’s future is still very much undecided. Poster courtesy of Save the Sound.
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- Kayak protest, August 18, 2018. All forms of transportation have been deployed in the long-lasting struggle to preserve Plum Island and keep it off the auction block. Photo by Patricia Burnside.
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- Aerial of Plum Island, N.Y., date unknown. Please note how undeveloped Plum Island remains after more than 120 years of U.S. Government military and research use. (Prior to Fort Terry, the Island’s main use during the Colonial period was sheep farming.) The most developed area is the 35-acre PIADC section at top left. The cleared area at center holds the main group of former Fort Terry buildings that have been mostly shuttered since the soldiers left in the late 1940s. Aerial photo courtesy of GSA.
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- In 2015, the New York Natural Heritage Program conducted a four-season biodiversity inventory of Plum Island that was published in 2016. The Inventory is useful for understanding why protecting Plum Island is so important. As the Inventory specifies, it will also help guide future natural resource management of the property. Cover image from the “Plum Island Biodiversity Inventory.” Courtesy of New York Natural Heritage Program.
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- Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) in hibernation within Battery Steele, Plum Island, 2015. This species of bat was one of hundreds of faunal and floral species documented on Plum Island by the Plum Island Biodiversity Inventory. Photo by Matthew D. Schlesinger, New York Natural Heritage Program.
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- Erin L. White, Zoologist and Project Coordinator, checks a turtle trap as part of the Plum Island Biodiversity Inventory, 2015. Photo by Matthew D. Schlesinger, New York Natural Heritage Program.
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- Fields and coastline, Plum Island, August 27, 2013. This photo, better than most, illustrates why naturalists and conservationists are so dedicated to preventing Plum Island from further development. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Beach and coastline, Plum Island, September 13, 2017. Plum Island offers a range unspoiled habitats for flora and fauna to flourish. Photo by Jane T. Ahrens.
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- Kildeer (Charadrius vociferus), April 22, 2014. Thirteen birds of conservation concern breed on Plum Island, a remarkable number for an 840-acre island. Although the killdeer is not on this list, it s a member of the plover family and its endangered Piping plover cousin nests on Plum Island’s beaches. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Pond in fall, Plum Island, October 22, 2014. There are both brackish ponds and large fresh water wetlands on Plum Island. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Seals basking on rocks near the shoreline, Plum Island, October 14, 2013. The Biodiversity Inventory reports that the southeast shore of Plum Island is considered to be one of the largest seal haul-out sites in New York State. They are primarily harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) with lesser numbers of gray seals (Halichoerus grypus). Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Solo seal on a rock in light surf, April 2, 2014. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Coastline surf, October 22, 2014. Plum Island. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Building No. 257, Plum Island, February 11, 2015. Thirteen structures originally associated with Fort Terry are in what’s called the Cantonment Area of Plum Island. Most of these remain shuttered, but some were initially used by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps (beginning in 1952) followed by the PIADC after 1956. Building No. 257, built for U.S. Army mine storage, was converted into a government laboratory in the 1950s. It is well known today as Lab 257. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Shuttered brick barrack, Plum Island, October 14, 2013. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Quartermaster Building No. 2, May 3, 2003. Those living on Fishers Island who are familiar with Fort Wright’s Building No. 57 (adjacent to the Community Center), will see some resemblance here, although not an exact match. Photo by Mark Berhow, CDSG.
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- The Fort Terry bakery, May 3, 2003. Once again, this structure may look familiar to those living on Fishers Island. . Photo by Mark Berhow, CDSG.
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- Battery Steele, Emplacement No. 1, May 3, 2003. This concrete coastal gun battery (1900-1942) was built for 10-inch guns on disappearing carriages. Several of Fort Terry’s gun emplacements appear to be excellent candidates for historic preservation. Photo by Mark Berhow, CDSG.
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- Unidentified Fort Terry gun battery, October 31, 2014. Letting nature take its course does not end well for gun emplacements. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Battery Campbell, Emplacement No. 1, May 3, 2003. Built for 3-inch guns, proximity to the eroded bluff’s edge is proving fatal for this emplacement and several others on Plum Island. Photo by Mark Berhow, CDSG.
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- Too late to save this structure, October 14, 2013. Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- No trespassing sign in front of Plum Island Light, date unknown. On July 3, 2018, tours of Plum Island were halted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security due to “current litigation over the island’s future, increasing activities related to DHS’s ultimate departure and the need to ensure proprieties of the future sale.” Quote from media statement by John Verrico, DHS. Photo courtesy of Susan Tamulevich.
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- Group of visitors from Custom House Maritime Museum, New London, Conn., posing in front of PIADC, September 29, 2014. Drawing on images from trips back when they were allowed, the next section forms a composite tour of Plum Island. Photo by Susan Tamulevich.
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- Custom House group posing in front of Plum Island Light, date unknown. This historic lighthouse was built in 1869. Photo by Susan Tamulevich.
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- Visitors at the top of the bluff, Plum Island, September 29, 2014. Photo by Susan Tamulevich.
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- Sketching at the beach, Plum Island, September 13, 2017. Photo by Jane T. Ahrens.
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- Waterfowl on pond, Plum Island, September 13, 2017. Photo by Jane T. Ahrens.
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- A little snapper, September 13, 2017. Photo by Susan Tamulevich.
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- Entrance to Battery Stoneman, May 3, 2003. Photo by Mark Berhow, CDSG.
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- CDSG members within Battery Stoneman, Fort Terry, May 3, 2003. Photo by Mark Berhow, CDSG.
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- Battery Stoneman, Fort Terry, in better times, circa 1911. Mortar crew are posing next to a 12-inch mortar. Photo courtesy of H.L. Ferguson Museum Collection.
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- Battery Bradford, Emplacement No. 1, May 3, 2003. Photo by Mark Berhow, CDSG.
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- Concrete plant, Plum Island, July 19, 2017. This is perhaps the single best photo for revealing the overriding determination of nature to consume the Fort Terry site. Photo by Susan Tamulevich.
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- Archway, Fort Terry, October 31, 2014. The Fort is a visual feast for those with a good eye, Photo by Robert Lorenz.
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- Interior room, Fort Terry, September 13, 2017. Photo by Jane T. Ahrens.
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- Metal details, Fort Terry, September 13, 2017. Photo by Jane T. Ahrens.
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- A way in and a way up, Fort Terry, September 13, 2017. Photo by Jane T. Ahrens.
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- Concrete wall detail, Fort Terry, July 19, 2017. Photo by Susan Tamulevich.
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- Brick path, Fort Terry, September 13, 2017. Photo by Jane T. Ahrens.
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- Aerial photograph “Fort Terry, New York 7-10-24.” It seems appropriate to end this section with a question mark formed by Plum Island itself. Of all the coastal fort locations examined in this exhibition, the future of Plum Island is the most undecided. A complex legal and political battle hangs in the balance. For those interested in protecting the diverse natural resources of our region—as well as historic gun emplacements–the battle for a preserved Plum Island is a battle worth joining. Source: NARA, courtesy of Mark Berhow, CDSG.
For more information on the struggle to preserve Plum Island, please visit:
Annual exhibition sponsored by:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Fort Terry, Plum Island, N.Y.
The Plum Island exhibit relied primarily on the work of six talented photographers: Robert Lorenz, whose photos covered both the natural beauty of Plum Island and the decay of toppled emplacements and abandoned buildings; Susan Tamulevich, leader of repeated tours to Plum Island for the Custom House Maritime Museum, who shot iconic sites and architectural details spotted along the way; Jane T. Ahrens, of Fishers Island, who turned her well-trained eye on structural interiors, exteriors, and natural vistas; and Mark Berhow, Coast Defense Study Group, whose camera captured a variety of gun emplacements and former Fort Buildings while touring military sites on Plum Island with members of his organization. A wonderful photograph of a kayak protest was provided by Patricia Burnside. Matthew D. Schlesinger, New York Natural Heritage Program, kindly allowed us to reproduce several of his images from the Plum Island Biodiversity Study.
Institutions that provided information and images were: Coast Defense Study Group, General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, New York Natural Heritage Program, Preserve Plum Island Coalition, Save the Sound, and the United States Department of Agriculture.
As I tend to say, for good reason, at the end of every acknowledgment section: We couldn’t have done it without you!
Pierce Rafferty,
Director,
Henry L. Ferguson Museum
