The government acquired the first parcels of land for this fort in 1799. Additional acreage was later purchased bringing the total area of this military reservation to 61.5 acres. In 1900, the enclave was formerly dedicated and named Fort Wetherill.

This site contains the largest concrete fortifications of its kind in Rhode Island. Because of spatial constraints it was laid out in an uncommonly tight linear array, featuring a variety of gun sizes and types, from 12-inch barbette mounted and disappearing rifles, to the smaller 6-inch and 3-inch pedestal types.

The majority of the mounted guns, and the barracks that housed officers and enlisted personnel, were located at the western end of the reservation, now known as Fort Wetherill State Park. Most of the military personnel serving at the fort during world War II were members of Rhode Island's own 243rd Coast Artillery Regiment, some of whom later chose to become permanent residents of the town of Jamestown. During the later part of 1945, selected German prisoners of war trained in this area for a postwar German police force. After the war a number of the wooden barracks were acquired by local citizens and relocated to sites throughout town.

A complete Submarine Mine and Cable facility consisting of several buildings, a wharf, tram rails, and ancillary facilities occupied the easternmost section of the fort during the World Wars. Three permanent structures have been preserved and upgraded, and now house the offices of the Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish and Wildlife.

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