Fort Standish was built was built just after the turn of the century as part of the Harbor Defenses of Boston—a series of forts and gun emplacements occupying nearly all of the present day Boston Harbor Islands. The defenses were upgraded frequently, but date all the way back to the Revolutionary War when Fort Independence was constructed by British colonialists on what is now known as Castle Island.

Fort Standish became an active military installation in 1907, and remained operational until 1947, as coastal gun emplacements were considered obsolete following World War II. The fort was protected by four M1900 10” artillery pieces, which had a range of nine miles. Several smaller guns were used to protect Boston Harbor’s defensive minefield and provide anti-aircraft cover.

Fort Standish once boasted sixty structures, but now the fort’s gun batteries are all that remain intact, along with a staircase leading up to the sky. The path along the east side of the island leads to this “stairway to nowhere.”