At a time of worsening tensions between the United States and Great Britain and an embargo against trade, the War Department built Fort Severn as a defense for Annapolis.

Located on Windmill Point, Fort Severn offered protection to harbor of Annapolis, which would have been a key target of the British forces.

The leaders developed a new curriculum requiring midshipmen to study at the academy for four years (equivalent to classical college education) and to train aboard ships each summer.

The curriculum in the nineteenth century included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French.

On 28 March 1977, the local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) placed a plaque in remembrance of the original fort at its former site.