Fort Hancock is a historic coastal artillery installation at Sandy Hook in Middletown Township, New Jersey, built in 1890 to defend the Atlantic coast and entrance to New York Harbor. The fort's first gun batteries became operational in 1896 and served as part of the Harbor Defenses of New York until 1950. Adjacent to Fort Hancock operated the United States Army's first official artillery proving ground from 1874 to 1919, where weapons ranging from small arms to giant 16-inch cannons were tested. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982, the fort is now part of Fort Hancock Memorial Park and represents a significant example of late 19th-century American military engineering.
