16 Jun Breaking Ground

I have arrived at Gateway National Recreation Area and I am excited to get to work! I settled in and met the other staff members—everyone here has been warm and welcoming and I’m looking forward to getting to know them more. The best part of this week was getting the chance to explore the Staten Island Unit! With two other interns, I went on a tour of the three main sections of the Staten Island Unit—Fort Wadsworth, Miller Field, and Great Kills Park. This tour showed me how the site interacts with the community to offer a national park experience in an urban environment. The pieces of the Staten Island Unit are along the shore line mixed in right alongside the residents; Fort Wadsworth still has an active Coast Guard base while Miller Field is next to a high school and neighborhood. There is a wide variety of activities available throughout Gateway. Miller Field, for example, offers picnic areas, sport fields and even a community garden! As I start my research, I have been going through prior general histories written about the sites as well as historic resource reports and historic structure reports. I am beginning to dig around for information on who worked at the forts during World War II. I am excited to see where my research will lead me in the coming weeks!