Fort Wayne ( Detroit ) Fort Wayne is located in the city of Detroit , Michigan , at the foot of Livernois Avenue in the Delray neighborhood . The fort is situated on the Detroit River at a point where it is about a mile to the Canadian shore . The original 1848 limestone barracks ( with later brick additions ) still stands , as does the 1845 star fort ification ( renovated in 1863 with brick exterior facing ) . On the fort grounds but outside the original star fort are additional barracks , officers quarters , hospital , shops , recreation building , commissary , guard house , garage , and stables . The fort sits on . Since the 1970s , , including the original star fort and a number of buildings , has been operated by the city of Detroit . The remaining area is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers as a boatyard . The fort was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 . History prior to and during fort construction . The site of Fort Wayne has a history going back to about the year 1000 A . D . Approximately 19 Native American burial mounds were present in the immediate area , as well as a larger one at the mouth of the Rouge River . The sole remaining burial mound at Fort Wayne was excavated by archaeologists at University of Michigan in the early 20th century , and at that time was found to contain human remains dating over 900 years old . It was also discovered that a unique type of local pottery was also native to the site , subsequently dubbed " Wayne Ware . " The present star fort was built atop one of the burial mounds , and it is from this site that Springwells Township ( later annexed into the City of Detroit ) took its name . The site originally consisted of a high sand mound , with freshwater springs found along the marshy waterfront of the Detroit River . Fort Wayne is Detroit ' s third fort . The first , Fort Detroit , was built by the French in 1701 . This fort , constructed shortly after Cadillac landed , was manned by the French until it was surrendered to the British in 1760 during the French and Indian War . The second fort , Fort Lernoult , was built by the British a few years later , and was manned by the British until 1796 . When the United States took over Detroit , Fort Lernoult was renamed Fort Shelby . When Cadillac founded Fort Detroit , he also purportedly made arrangements with the local Potawatomi people to set up a small village at the site of Fort Wayne for purposes of trading , which was occupied and thriving by 1710 . During the War of 1812 , British General Isaac Brock crossed the Detroit River with his troops and landed on the site where Fort Wayne sits today ( the narrowest part of the river ) , then known as " the sand hill at Springwells " before marching to Detroit . Under the impression that he was completely surrounded and outnumbered , General William Hull surrendered Fort Shelby to the British during the Siege of Detroit without offering any resistance . The British later abandoned the fort and American troops reoccupied it . Following the end of the war Fort Shelby fell into disrepair , and in 1826 it was sold to the City of Detroit and demolished . In 1815 , the site of Fort Wayne was used for the signing of the Treaty of Springwells , which marked the official ( though belated ) end of hostilities between the American government and the local Native American tribes of the area who had allied with the British during the war . Among those present for the signing of the treaty were Lewis Cass and soon to be U . S . President , General William Henry Harrison . Despite Fort Wayne ' s long - touted slogan , " Never a shot fired in anger , " it is also documented that its site , the " sand hill at Springwells " is where the opening shots of the War of 1812 took place , when Michigan militiamen bombarded the town of Sandwich , Canada ( later annexed into Windsor ) on July 4 , 1812 , though this occurred before an official declaration of war had been made . In the late 1830s , small , short - lived rebellions occurred in Canada to protest corruption amongst its colonial government . Many Americans believed there was widespread Canadian support for these rebellions and formed volunteer militias to overthrow Canada ' s colonial government . This led to a series of militia attacks on Canada known as the Patriot War . American troops were mustered to suppress the American volunteers and maintain America ' s official neutrality in the conflict . However , at the same time , the United States government realized there were a lack of fortifications along the northern border to repel a potential British attack , and in particular , no counterpart to the British Fort Malden located in Amherstburg . In 1841 , Congress appropriated funds to build a chain of forts stretching from the east coast to the Minnesota Territory , including one at Detroit . Soon afterward , the Army sent Lieutenant Montgomery C . Meigs to Detroit . Meigs bought up riverfront farm property three miles below Detroit , at the point on the Detroit River closest to Canada . Construction on the fort began in 1842 , with Meigs superintending . The original fortifications were cedar - reveted earthen walls . The fort was completed in 1851 , costing $ 150 , 000 . The Army named the new fort for Revolutionary War hero General " Mad " Anthony Wayne , who had taken possession of Detroit from the British in 1796 . Architecture and construction . The original fort is star - patterned , with walls of earthen ramparts faced with cedar , covering vaulted brick tunnels that contain artillery ports . The design was based on fortifications developed by Sebastian Vauban , a 17th - century French military engineer , and modified by Dennis Hart Mahan . Artillery emplacements are atop the walls , designed for cannons mounted to fire over the parapet , although there is no indication that artillery intended for the fort was ever installed . There is a dry moat surrounding the fort , and a demilune facing the river . Although the star fort today is substantially similar to the original construction , some changes have been made . Starting in 1863 , under the supervision of Thomas J . Cram , the walls of the fort were reconstructed , replacing the original cedar facing with brick and concrete . In addition , the entranceway to the fort has been altered . The original entrance to the fort was a small sally port in the southeast bastion . In 1938 , an arched entrance was constructed through the fort ' s walls to accommodate vehicular traffic ; later , the arches were removed to fit larger trucks . Within the star fort ( and built at approximately the same time ) is a Federal style , - story limestone troop barracks , consisting of five independent but adjacent sections . Each section contains a ground floor mess , two floors of barracks rooms , and an attic . Brick additions were added to the rear of the building in 1861 , housing washrooms and kitchens . Next to the barracks is a powder magazine , also constructed of limestone . Additional buildings originally built within the star fort , such as officer ' s housing , have long since been destroyed . Numerous additional buildings have been built on fort grounds outside of the star fort . A row of wooden Victorian officer ' s homes was built in the 1880s . In 1937 , these homes were completely refurbished and clad in brick by WPA workers . One home was restored in the 1980s to its original appearance . A Spanish - American War guardhouse , built in 1889 , is in the center of the fort grounds . The guard house was restored in 1984 . In 1890 , a brick hospital was built , with a later addition in 1898 . In 1905 , a new guardhouse , still in use today , was built near the gate to the fort grounds . Around the same time , four barracks buildings for enlisted men were built , as well as a service club ( 1903 ) , headquarters ( 1905 ) , and post office . By 1928 , duplex housing for senior NCOs . In 1939 , more NCO houses were built in a row facing Jefferson Avenue . Historical use . Before any cannon had been installed at the newly constructed Fort Wayne , the United States and Britain peacefully resolved their differences , eliminating the need for a fort on the Detroit River . Fort Wayne remained unused for a decade after its initial construction , manned only by a single watchman . There is evidence suggesting that the fort was a final stop on the Underground Railroad during these dormant years , as the Irish farmer who lived next to the fort ' s demilune operated a small ferry to Canada to supplement his income , the only such ferry in this part of the city at that time . In 1861 , the American Civil War again made Fort Wayne relevant . British sympathy for the Confederacy renewed fears of an attack from Canada , leading to a reconstruction and strengthening of the fort walls . Two weeks after the beginning of the war , the Michigan 1st Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered into service at Fort Wayne . For the rest of the Civil War , the fort served as a mustering center for troops from Michigan , as well as a place for veterans to recover from their wounds . Alfred Gibbs was the first commander to occupy the fort , serving his parole at Fort Wayne after being captured by the Confederacy . After the Civil War and until 1920 , Fort Wayne served as a garrison post , with regiments rotated from the western frontier for rest . During the Spanish - American War , troops from the fort headed to Cuba and the Philippines ; the fort ' s guardhouse also housed the first telephone exchange in southwestern Detroit . During the Red Scare , the fort served as a temporary detention center for accused communists awaiting trial . Starting in World War I , Fort Wayne became instrumental in acquisition of cars , trucks , and spare parts for the military . During the Great Depression , the fort was opened to homeless families and it housed the Civilian Conservation Corps " . The motor vehicle supply function reached its peak in World War II , when Fort Wayne was designated Motor Supply Depot and additional buildings were constructed for warehousing and shipping . At that time Fort Wayne was the largest motor supply depot in the entire world , the command center controlling the flow of materiel from the automobile factories to the city - wide network of storage and staging facilities , which included the Michigan State Fairgrounds , and the Port of Detroit terminal . Every single tank , truck , jeep , tire , or spare part that was sent to the fronts of World War II from the Detroit factories came through Fort Wayne , making it the arsenal of America ' s Arsenal of Democracy . At that time there was a railroad spur along the riverfront , docks for large ships , and over 2 , 000 ( mostly civilian women ) workers were employed ; the drivers and mechanics of the Red Ball Express were also trained here . Fort Wayne served as home to Italian POWs captured during the North African Campaign , and were employed as servants , cooks , and janitors . After Italy ' s surrender , the POWs were given the chance to return to Italy , but many chose to remain and settle in Detroit . At the end of World War II , plans were made to close the fort . In 1948 , the star fort and original barracks were turned over to the City of Detroit ' s Historical Commission for operation as a military museum . In the 1950s , anti - aircraft guns were installed at the fort , later upgraded to Nike - Ajax missiles . However , even during the Cold War , Fort Wayne served as an entrance station for the armed services , with thousands of enlistees and draftees being sworn in during the Korean War and Vietnam War . The fort was again used to provide housing to displaced families after the 1967 12th Street Riot , with the last families staying at the fort until 1971 . The remainder of Fort Wayne was turned over piecemeal to the city of Detroit , with the last bit of property delivered in 1976 . Current use . From 1949 until 2006 , the Fort Wayne Military Museum was operated by the Detroit Historical Museum . Since early 2006 , the fort has been operated by the Detroit Recreation Department , assisted by the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition , the Friends of Fort Wayne , and the Detroit Historical Society . Also on the grounds is the Tuskegee Airmen Museum and an ancient burial mound . It hosts historic reenactments ( usually Civil War ) , spring and fall flea markets , concerts , youth soccer league matches , Hispanic and Boy Scout events and is open for some civic events . Areas can be rented for special events and family reunions as well .