Castle Williams

Cas­tle Williams is a cir­cu­lar defen­sive work of red sand­stone on the west point of Gov­er­nors Island in New York Har­bor. Com­plet­ed in 1811, Cas­tle Williams rep­re­sents the state of the art in for­ti­fi­ca­tions for its time and influ­enced the design of coastal defens­es for the next fifty years. The Nation­al Park Ser­vice restored the cas­tle and, when pos­si­ble, pro­vides access to the roof, allow­ing the pub­lic to admire the har­bor and the mod­ern sky­line of the great city this fortress once pro­tect­ed. Cas­tle Williams is part of the Gov­er­nors Island Nation­al Mon­u­ment and is under the stew­ard­ship of the Nation­al Park Service.