The earliest known military installation on Jaffrey's Point, named after George Jaffrey and over time corrupted to the name Jerry's Point, in New Castle was Battery Cumberland built in 1746 to protect against the military attacks out of Monreal Canada by the French and Indians that lead up to the French and Indian War. Battery Cumberland consisted of nine 32 pound cannons.
At the start of the American Revolution on May 31, 1775 the NH Militia destroyed Battery Cumberland which had been abandoned by the British and moved the guns to Fort Washington and a new fortification was built in 1775, which consisted of earthworks, barracks and wooden gun platforms, fortified by guns stolen from the British at Fort William and Mary by the Sons of Liberty. This fortification appears to have been Fort Hancock, noted by E. Thompson in his Journal of the House, which also may have included the square stone and earthwork redoubt located at Clark's Point built in 1775 as a sub-post. Commanded by Dr. Hall Jackson, Fort Hancock was in use from winter of 1775 to 1778 and served as a back-up for Fort Washington and Fort Sullivan. In 1783 the wooden barracks and gun platforms were moved to Castle Fort. No remains of Fort Hancock still exist.
During the Federal Period in 1794 Jaffrey's Point Battery, a First System fort, was built consisting of nine cannons, a mix of 6 and 9 pounders and a circular stone redoubt. In 1873 at the beginning of the Endicott Period when the Jerry's Point Battery was being built the redoubt was to be refortified, consisting of three heavy guns on wooden platforms. It is unclear if they were ever built. Portions of the redoubt are still visible today.
At the beginning of the Endicott Period Jerry's Point Battery was started, intended as a wide V shaped concrete and earthwork twelve gun bay battery for 15" Rodman M1861 Columbiads with 190" barrels in double bays with transverse magazines on wrought iron barbette carriages. A year later in 1874 the battery plans were massively downgraded to create eight single gun bays. Work started and stopped on the battery until finally in 1899 the completed battery was fortified with two 8" M1888MII breach loading rifles with 278.5" barrels on converted Rodman barbette carriages. A year later in 1900 the guns were removed and sent to Fort McKinley for use on Battery Thompson, Battery Waymouth or Battery Honeycutt. Later the same year the battery was destroyed to build three new batteries. Gun bays one, two, three and four were partially destroyed with the remainder buried and gun bays five, six and seven were completely destroyed. Portions of gun bay eight are still visible today.
In 1887 the Jerry's Point Lifesaving station and wooden pier were built by the U.S. Lifesaving Service behind gun bays three and four of Jerry's Point Battery. The lifesaving station was shut down in 1908 when it's duties were transferred to the Portsmouth Harbor Lifesaving Station that had been built on Wood Island at Fort Foster. In 1909 the building was used as barracks and in 1941 it was changed to the Navy HECP (Harbor Entrance and Control Post) building. Neither the wooden pier nor the lifesaving station still exist today. In 1898 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a large stone breakwater and engineers wharf close to gun position eight of Jerry's Point Battery. The stone breakwater still exists today but the wharf was destroyed in a fire in 1932.
In 1900 the military installation was officially named Fort Stark after General John Stark and four new Endicott Period batteries were built. Battery David Hunter, named after Major General David Hunter, was started in 1901 on top of gun positions five, six and seven of Jerry's Point Battery and was completed in 1904 armed with two 12" M1895MI 35 caliber breach loading rifles with 442.56" barrels on M1897 disappearing carriages. The concrete structure with earth embankments had two floors. The first floor had two magazines and two shell rooms and a network of other rooms. A ceiling mounted trolley system was used to move the projectiles on the first floor. The shells were raised from the level below the guns with two GE Taylor-Raymond back-delivery projectile hoists. The second floor had the gun decks, loading bays and three crows nests. In 1909 an electric generator was built inside Battery Hunter utilizing two existing rooms. One held one 25kw set and the other held two 25kw sets. During WWI in 1917 a temporary backup fire-control station was built for Battery Hunter on Odiorne's Point. It was removed in 1918. After the war, in 1921, a permanent four sided possibly open-topped concrete backup fire-control station with an open area to enter and a concrete instrument pedestal was built around 300 yards east of the Wentworth By the Sea Hotel. Battery Hunter was deactivated in 1944 after Battery Seaman was completed at Fort Dearborn and it was deemed obsolete. The guns were sent to the Watervliet Arsenal. Battery Hunter still exists and can be seen today but is closed for entry by the public. The permanent backup fire-control station was destroyed in 1998.
In 1903 the Oil Storage House was built below Battery Hunter to hold oil for a small light beacon that had been installed at the end of the stone breakwater. The Oil Storage House is still standing but is not open for public admittance. The small light beacon has been destroyed. Battery Edward Kirk, named after Brigadier General Edward N. Kirk, was built on top of a portion of gun bays one, two, three and four of Jerry's Point Battery. Started in 1903 and completed in 1904 Battery Kirk was armed with two 6" M1903 rapid-fire rifles with 302.9" barrels on disappearing M1903 carriages. The two story concrete structure had earth embankments. The first floor had a magazine, shell room, switchboard room and a few other rooms. The second story had the gun decks, loading decks and two crows nests. The battery was deactivated in 1917 and the guns were removed and sent to Watervliet Arsenal. The carriages were removed in 1921. The left and right side of the battery can still be seen today but is closed for entry by the public. The middle of the battery has a new building on top of it.
In 1904 Battery Alexander Hays, named after Brevet Major General Alexander Hays, was started on top of a portion of gun bays one, two, three and four of Jerry's Point Battery. Battery Hays was a two story reinforced concrete building with earth embankments. The first floor had from left to right a magazine, a storeroom and another magazine all accessible from doors in the back of the battery. The second floor had the gun decks. The shells were brought up by hand from the lower story of the battery. Completed in 1905 Battery Hays was armed with two 3" shielded rapid-fire M1902MI rifles with 154.35" barrels on M1902 pedestal mounts. In 1920 a CRF (Coincidence Rangefinder) station, which allows the operator to determine the distance of an object, was built on top of Battery Hays. Deactivated in 1942, the guns were removed and transferred to New Battery Lytle that had just been finished at Fort Stark. To the left of Battery Hays is a concrete cable terminal hut with earth embankments. Battery Hays still exists today and is open to the public.
Battery William Lytle, named after Brigadier General William H. Lytle, was started in 1904 at the far end of Battery Hunter. Battery Lytle was completed in 1905 and identical in design to Battery Hays, it was also armed with two 3" shielded rapid-fire M1902MI rifles with 154.35" barrels on M1902 pedestal mounts. The first floor of the two story reinforced concrete building had from left to right a magazine, a storeroom and another magazine all accessible from doors in the back of the battery. The second floor had the gun decks. The shells were brought up by hand from the lower story of the battery. In 1920 a CRF Station was built on top of the battery as well. Battery Lytle was deactivated and replaced in 1942 with New Battery Lytle. The guns were transferred to Battery Hackleman at Fort Constitution. Battery Lytle still exists today and is open to the public.
After all four of the batteries were completed, Fort Stark was named a sub-post of Fort Constitution in 1905 and several new buildings were erected. In 1907 a single story mine casement constructed of wood covered with concrete was built behind Battery Kirk to replace the one at Fort Constitution. The building had a tin roof and was 52 feet by 32 feet and had five rooms inside. The equipment was transferred from the casemate at Fort Constitution. The building was destroyed in 1920 when a new mine casement was built at Fort Constitution. In 1909 the Primary Mine Observation station was built behind Battery Hays. It was a two story tower like wooden building with a concrete instrument panel and DPF (Depression-position rangefinding) instruments on the top floor. The lower floor was the plotting room and the upper floor with the DPF instruments was the observation room. DPF instruments are used to determine the distance of an object. In 1921 the Primary Mine Observation station was transferred to Fort Constitution and the building became the Primary Fire Command Observation station, Harbor Defense Post Command and G-1 Gun Group Observation Station. Primary Fire Command Observation and Harbor Defense Post Command later moved to the HECP building and the G-1 Gun Group Observation station moved to Fort Dearborn. All that exists today of this building is the concrete instrument panel.
An Engineering Department Office was built next to the Primary Mine Observation station. A combined coal shed and lavatory was built behind the mine casement next to the lifesaving station. Carpenter and blacksmith buildings were built behind Battery Hunter. A water tank was built behind Battery Hunter and two storage rooms were built, one next to Battery Hays and one behind Battery Lytle. None of these buildings are still in existence.
In 1910 the Engineering Department Office was destroyed and the Ordnance Machine Shop was built. The Ordnance Machine Shop building still exists and is now an on-site museum. The museum is open limited hours, the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation site has the current schedule. In 1915 some of the buildings were destroyed to make way for new ones. A recreation building was built next to the Ordnance Machine shop. Two barracks were constructed next to the recreation building, a post exchange was built next to the coal shed and garage buildings were built between the barracks and the lifesaving building. In 1922 a 60" GE searchlight (position 3) was installed on a rail cart that ran on a track that went to the end of the engineers wharf. The searchlight was destroyed in a fire in 1932. A truck mounted 36" searchlight was also added. None of the rest of the buildings are still in existence.
In 1941 the HECP (Harbor Entrance Command Post) was built on top of the middle of the deactivated Battery Kirk (War Department location 145 site 1C). The building served as a combined Army HECP and HDCP (Harbor Defense Command Post). The Navy HECP was located in the Jerry's Point Lifesaving Station building. The HDCP handled all communications and command of the entire Portsmouth Harbor defense area, which spanned from Cape Porpoise, Maine all the way to Cape Ann, Massachusetts. It was a three story concrete structure built right into Battery Kirk and was designed to look to those coming into the harbor like the back of a Navy ship. The first floor, which was the original Battery Kirk, had a switchboard room, message center, first aid room, storage battery room, utility room, boiler room, enlisted men's rest room and latrine, officers' rest room and latrine, radio room, operations room, code room, C.W.S. equipment room and a commanding officer's room. The second story, which was an added level, had the HECP chart room, blinker station, HECP observation bay, enlisted men's rest room and latrine, officers' rest room and latrine, radio transmitters room and three closets. The third floor had the harbor operations observation bay and the radar mechanism room. An SCR-682 early detection radar was installed on top of the HECP building in 1944. The HECP building exists today but the building and the area around it are closed to the public.
In 1941 the barracks were destroyed and three new wood frame barracks were built in the same location. A mess hall was built next to the barracks and the recreation building was destroyed and a fire station was built in it's location. The Battery Headquarters was built behind Battery Hays next to the Mine Observation building and a supply office was built behind Battery Kirk, where the old mine casement was. Officer's Quarters were built next to the post exchange and a Quartermaster supply building was built next to the supply office. A gate house was erected next to the fire station. None of these buildings are still in existence.
New Battery Lytle, named after Brigadier General William H. Lytle, was completed in 1942 to replace the aging and no longer adequate Battery Lytle nearby. It was a simple battery constructed of two circular concrete mounts roughly fifty feet apart. Each mount was armed with a 3" shielded rapid-fire M1902MI rifle with a 154.35" barrel on a M1902 pedestal mount that were transferred from the now deactivated Battery Hays. A combined battery commander's station and CRF station was built on top of a crows nest of the soon-to-be deactivated Battery Hunter for New Battery Lytle. The guns were removed in 1948 and where they were sent is unknown. In 1963 3" Navy deck guns were installed on the deactivated battery as a memorial for the U.S.S. Thresher. The guns have now been removed and one is on display in the museum on-site in the Ordnance Machine Shop. The other gun was sent to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. New Battery Lytle still exists today, the command station is still on top of Battery Hunter and gun position one is still in place. Gun position two has been washed out by the water and is sideways on the shoreline. Both gun positions are open to the public but there is no entrance to the observation post.
In 1948 the Harbor Defense Commands were disbanded and the fort was declared surplus property in 1950. By 1953 most of the buildings had been destroyed and while after 1950 the installation was utilized occasionally it was mostly inactive. Between 1978 and 1983 portions of the fort were given to the State of New Hampshire and in 1983 all remaining buildings, except those that stand today, were destroyed. The land is now a state park.