During my first week of my internship, I learned that Gateway Recreation Area comprises three major parks. The first park, aka the Park Headquarters and my office is located at Fort Wadsworth, in Staten Island. Built in the 1840s, Fort Wadsworth served as one of the major defense strongholds against British forces. The fort's main function was to protect the narrows and New York harbor, which at the time, represented over 90% of the country's imported goods.