Fort Nathan Hale Fort Nathan Hale , also known as Fort Hale Park , Black Rock , is a city park located on the east shore of New Haven Harbor in New Haven , Connecticut . It includes the site of a 1659 fort and a Revolutionary War - era fort . The fort was named after Nathan Hale , Connecticut ' s official hero . Since 1921 , the site has been owned by the state of Connecticut . It has been used as a park and maintained as a historical site by the City of New Haven . Educational programs are given throughout the year to students attending local schools . The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 . In 1970 the listing included three contributing buildings , one contributing sites , and three contributing structures . History . In early 1776 , the colony of Connecticut commissioned the construction of a fort on a point of rock that stretched out into the harbor to protect the port of New Haven from the British . This was the location of an earlier unnamed fort from circa 1657 , and on this site was erected Black Rock Fort . Unfortunately for the colonists , in 1779 British General William Tryon , during his raid of Connecticut coastal communities , captured Black Rock Fort along with its nineteen defenders , but only after they had run out of ammunition . The British burned the barracks as they left . In 1807 , the abandoned fort was reconstructed as Fort Nathan Hale , and it served to defend the port from the British once again during the War of 1812 . In 1863 , Fort Nathan Hale II was built alongside the original fort , out of concern that Southern raiders might strike the city during the Civil War , but the fort saw no battle action . This fort contained deep , earthen , bomb - proof bunkers . The fort as a historical recreation area . The site has been known as a historic site since 1921 , when Congress deeded the fort to the State , which turned it over to the City to maintain . The site was turned into a popular bathing and picnic area but pollution and the hurricane of 1938 brought such recreation to an end . The site , neglected , became overgrown and the fort fell into decay . In 1967 , the Fort Nathan Hale Restoration Project was founded by a group of concerned citizens interested in the restoration and preservation of Fort Nathan Hale . Brought back to life in time for the Nation ' s Bicentennial , Fort Nathan Hale was rededicated on July 5 , 1976 . Both Fort Nathan Hale and Black Rock Fort have been reconstructed and include a newly restored drawbridge , moat , ramparts , powder magazines and " bombproof " bunker . Through the efforts of FNHRP , funds are raised annually to maintain , staff and promote the facility . In addition to the reconstructed forts , the site features a memorial flag court with replicas of flags flown during the Colonial Era , the American Revolution , War of 1812 , the Civil War , and today . The court also features a copy of the Nathan Hale statue by Bela Lyon Pratt that was dedicated at Yale University in 1914 ( another copy of the statue stands outside CIA headquarters in Virginia ) . The statue depicts a young Hale , hands bound behind his back , just before being executed by British forces for espionage . Each year over 7 , 000 visitors from countries around the world tour the historic site . .