Originally built in 1639 as a nameless[4] fort by the Dutch West India Company, it is the oldest masonry structure on the island of Bonaire.

[3] Fort Orange was built in 1639 after the island of Bonaire was conquered by the Netherlands.

[4] The canons which are currently in the fort date from the British period.

[3] The fort remained the headquarters of the Commander of Bonaire until 1837.

[7] The ownership of the fort was transferred from the Dutch Government to the Island Territory of Bonaire in 1974.