Peter Henry Bruce oversaw the construction of the fort that began in 1741 to defend the British possession from Spanish invaders.

He knew that one fort wasn't enough defense and had military engineer Peter Henry Bruce construct another one at the eastern end of the island.

The fort is made out of limestone and when it was built, it had 23 cannons and over 95 barrels of gun powder.

The fort played an important role during the American Revolutionary War, as it was the United States Marine Corps' first successful Amphibious assault by Esek Hopkins during the Battle of Nassau.

In 1783, Colonel Andrew Deveaux, a Loyalist in St. Augustine, Florida, heard that the nearby British territory of The Bahamas had been captured by Spain.