[1] Caponiers, the technical name of the structure that now houses the museum, are outworks; in the case of Fort Hamilton its mission was to protect the main fortress from rear attacks.

[4] Because it was used as a warehouse after it was no longer needed for military purposes, it was better preserved than other parts of the fort.

[2] The museum continues to serve an educational role in explaining the history of the evolution of New York Harbor.

[5] The museum houses an array of artifacts from New York's military history including American Revolutionary War relics, uniforms from various wars, old maps of the fort, the post's old switchboard, an exhibit on a secret tunnel that connected Fort Hamilton with another base a half-mile away,[5] a Confederate mine and a piece of the net that protected New York Harbor from German U-boats in World War I.

[7] It is also the temporary home of a Bay Ridge time capsule that was unearthed prematurely due to construction.