Description

The Gooseberry Island Towers are two abandoned WW2 fire control towers that sit looking over Buzzards Bay in Westport, Massachusetts.

Gooseberry Island was first explored in 1602 Bartholomew Gosnold and during the early 1900s people began developing homes, beach cottages, and fishing shacks on the island. In 1942, the US government took control of 6.5 acres on the island to create fire control towers to aid nearby guns in New Bedford Harbor and Narragansett Bay during WW2. The guns were never used and the Gooseberry Island Towers were abandoned after the war.

Following WW2, many of the buildings on the island were damaged and destroyed when Hurricane Carol hit in 1954. In 1957, the island was taken by the state of Massachusetts to be added to the Horseneck Beach Reservation. Cottages on the island were removed with many being moved to nearby beaches.

Horseneck Beach Reservation decided to leave the historic WW2 towers and designed a great walking path that leads right to the graffiti-covered towers. The path is about 1 mile out and back and it goes through the center of the island. Additionally, the towers can be accessed by walking along the beach. There is a daily parking fee charged from May 15 through November at the reservation. Dogs are allowed to visit the towers any day outside April 1st to September 15th.

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Specs

Year Established: 1942
Year Abandoned: 1957
Original Function: Fire control towers constructed by the US Government to secure the coast during World War II. The towers provided insight for large coastal guns at New Bedford Harbor and the entrance to Narragansett Bay.