Fort Jay
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Fort Jay is a historic site in New York, at a modelled elevation of 10 m. High Mountain stands 268 m to the north-northwest, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is The Trust for Governors Island, a museum 0.1 miles away. Palisades Scenic Byway passes 12 miles off. 59 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
Fort Jay is a coastal bastion fort and the name of a former United States Army post on Governors Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a member of the Federalist Party, New York governor, Chief Justice of the United States, Secretary of State, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. It was built in 1794 to defend Upper New York Bay, but has served other purposes. From 1806 to 1904 it was named Fort Columbus, presumably for explorer Christopher Columbus. Today, the National Park Service administers Fort Jay and Castle Williams as the Governors Island National Monument.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1794.
Wikidata Q5470967, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Built
- 1794
How to reach it
- 11.5 mi off the Palisades Scenic Byway, National
- 11.8 mi off the Bronx River Parkway
- 29.7 mi off the Merritt Parkway, National
Named places within 25 miles
- The Trust for Governors Island: 0.1 mi
- Commanding Officer's Quarters: 0.2 mi
- Fraunces Tavern Museum: 0.9 mi
- National Museum of the American Indian: 0.9 mi
- Skyscraper Museum: 1.0 mi
- Governor's Island Kayaking: 0.2 mi
- The Genius of Communication: 0.9 mi
- Brooklyn Heights Promenade: 1.0 mi
- New York Stock Exchange: 1.1 mi
- Kayak Brooklyn: 1.1 mi
- West: 0.3 mi
- East: 0.3 mi
- St. Mihiel Dock: 0.5 mi
- South: 0.7 mi
- East Coast Memorial: 0.7 mi
- Moving Chains: 0.6 mi
- Cabin: 0.6 mi
- Coast Guard Memorial: 0.7 mi
- Porkchop, the bulldog bootlegger: 0.7 mi
- Eagle: 0.7 mi
- Pier 6 Flower Field: 0.7 mi
- Urban Meadow: 0.7 mi
- Exploratory Marsh: 0.8 mi
- Backyard Garden: 0.8 mi
- South Brooklyn Children's Garden: 0.8 mi
- Battery Park: 0.8 mi
- Vietnam Veterans Plaza: 0.8 mi
- Coenties Slip: 0.9 mi
- The Elevated Acre: 0.9 mi
- Adam Yauch Park: 0.9 mi
- Beach/Kayak launch ramp: 0.9 mi
- Pier 4 Beach: 1.0 mi
- Pebble Beach: 1.6 mi
- Caven Point Beach: 2.7 mi
- Newport Sand Beach: 2.9 mi
- Bird Island: 0.9 mi
- Audubon Park: 3.9 mi
- WNYC Transmitter Park: 3.9 mi
- Jones Woods Park: 5.4 mi
- Hallett Nature Sanctuary: 5.6 mi
- Grassy Hill: 0.5 mi
- Slide Hill: 0.5 mi
- Outlook Hill: 0.6 mi
- Discovery Hill: 0.6 mi
- Battle Hill: 2.8 mi
- Picnic Peninsula: 0.8 mi
- Pier 5 Uplands Seating Area: 0.9 mi
- Pier 3 Greenway Terrace: 1.0 mi
- Freedom Field: 2.3 mi
- Street Seats: 5.4 mi
- Palisades: 3.9 mi
- Palisades: 5.4 mi
- Palisades: 8.2 mi
- Coogan's Bluff: 10.6 mi
- Palisades: 14.4 mi
- Ambergill Falls: 3.1 mi
- Fallkill Falls: 3.1 mi
- Binnen Falls: 3.3 mi
- The Loch: 7.7 mi
- Hemlock Falls: 14.8 mi
- LeFrak Point Lighthouse: 2.5 mi
- Sandy Hook Lighthouse: 15.9 mi
- Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters: 15.9 mi
- Sands Point Lighthouse: 19.2 mi
- Execution Rocks Light: 19.4 mi
- Vince Lombardi Service Area: 9.2 mi
- Larry Doby Service Area: 13.3 mi
- Thomas Edison Service Area: 15.9 mi
- Grover Cleveland Service Area: 15.9 mi
- Barber: 16.9 mi
- Feltville Historic District: 19.4 mi
- Tulip Springs: 15.1 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Fort Jay. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Mountain | NNW 334° | 268 m | 21.5 mi |
| Beech Mountain | NNW 332° | 260 m | 22.5 mi |
| Mount Cecchino | NNW 333° | 230 m | 21.2 mi |
| Poacher Peak | NNW 331° | 185 m | 22.8 mi |
| Moon Hill | NNW 331° | 180 m | 22.5 mi |
| Stony Hill | NW 305° | 179 m | 14.5 mi |
| Mayapple Hill | WNW 292° | 175 m | 15.3 mi |
| Packanack Mountain | NW 325° | 144 m | 20.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:00 | 18:32 | 19:08 |
| June solstice | 05:26 | 19:50 | 20:31 |
| September equinox | 06:44 | 18:19 | 18:55 |
| December solstice | 07:17 | 15:49 | 16:32 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 34 | 36 | 43 | 54 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 58 | 48 | 39 |
| Precip in | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — NY City Cntrl Park, 7 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
National Register of Historic Places, reference 74001268OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata- National Register of Historic Places — Fort Jay, reference 74001268, listed 03/27/74.
OpenStreetMap element way/1388461669
Day trips start here
- Manhattan/Financial District · 1 mi
- Brooklyn/Downtown · 2 mi
- Downstate New York · 2 mi
- Manhattan/Chinatown · 2 mi
- Manhattan/Lower East Side · 2 mi
- Manhattan/SoHo · 2 mi
Take the scenic way to Fort Jay.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.