[1][2] It was named for Myles Standish, military leader of the Plymouth Colony in the 1620s, and augmented the nearby Fort Andrew on Gurnet Point.

It was designed and constructed under the supervision of Major Charles E. Blunt of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Outside the fort were a barracks, officers' quarters, and a mess hall.

[3][4] From January to June 1865 the fort was garrisoned by the 27th Unattached Company of Massachusetts militia.

[4] The military reservation was purchased by the federal government and declared inactive in 1870.