Parking
Announcements
We're excited to announce a new virtual tour of Fort Rodman-Fort Taber Park! Check out our virtual tour to see a stunning drone view of the fort's interior and a ground-level perspective of the stone fort. We hope you enjoy it!
A big thank you to Peter Hanney of Hanney Property Solutions for his fantastic camera work, drone footage, and editing that made this tour possible.
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS
SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING AT FORT RODMAN
Museum Hours for July 4. 2026 and the America 250th Anniversary
The Fort Taber~Fort Rodman Military Museum & Veterans Memorial 1000C So. Rodney French Blvd New Bedford, Ma. will be open The 4th of July from 10AM-4PM. Come celebrate the 4th with our Veteran Ancestors. There will be light refreshments. Pick up a copy of the Declaration of Independence and an American Flag Free while supplies…
Lights of Peace Flag for July 2026 to Honor the Memory of Sgt. Samuel M. Demers USMC Veteran
During the month of July, the 82nd Lights for Peace flag to fly at the Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum honors the memory of Sgt. Samuel M. Demers, a United States Marine Veteran from New Bedford, who passed away on June 20, 2022, at the age of 25. Demers was born and raised…
Lights of Peace Flag June 2026 to Honor the Memory of John W. Remedis, Jr. “Johnny Angel” U.S. Army Vietnam War Veteran
During the month of June, the 81st Lights for Peace flag to fly at the Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum honors the memory of John W. Remedis, Jr., otherwise known as “Johnny Angel,” a former U.S. Army Vietnam War Veteran, beloved DJ, Downshifter’s Car Club founder and dedicated community servant from Freetown, MA.…
May 2026 Lights of Peace Flag to Honor The Memory of Chief Petty Officer, Leonard DeMedeiros WWII Navy Veteran
During the month of May, the 80th Lights for Peace flag to fly at the Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum honors the memory of United States Navy Chief Petty Officer, Leonard DeMedeiros, of Fairhaven, who was one of 33 survivors aboard the USS Squalus that sank off the coast of Portsmouth, NH on…
April 2026 Flag of Peace, to Honor The Memory of Corporal James Henry Gooding Veteran of the 54th Infantry Regiment During the Civil War
During the month of April, the 79th Lights for Peace flag to fly at the Fort Taber – Fort Rodman Military Museum honors the memory of Corporal James Henry Gooding, who was born into slavery in North Carolina and went on to attend a prominent school in New York, becoming a prolific writer and serving…
Easter Sunday Closure
The Museum will be closed on Easter Sunday April 5, 2026, so that the Volunteers can spend time with their families.
Veterans Town Hall
Veterans Town Hall Date April 18, 2026 Time : 10am – 1 pm Place : Fort Taber~Fort Rodman Museum
Vietnam War Veterans Day 2026
Vietnam War Veterans Day 2026 Ceremony Date : March 29,2026 Time : 11 am Place : Fort Taber~Vort Rodman Museum and Fort Taber Veterans Memorial Park
CLOSURE NOTICE : Due to the Marathon
Due to the fact of the New Bedford Half Marathon, and the city locking the gates to the Fort Taber Park Saturday night. The Fort Taber~Fort Rodman Military Museum will be closed on Sunday March 15, 2026. We apologize for this, but it is out of our control.
HISTORY OF THE FORT
1800 - New Bedford became the world’s foremost whaling port by the middle of the nineteenth-century. The port’s upriver location provided natural protection from coastal gales, but not the storms of national and international controversy. A British raid during the American Revolution demonstrated the vulnerability of the port in 1778 when seventy vessels and twenty-six storehouses were left in ruin. The need for coastal defense was obvious again during the War of 1812... see timeline
MUSEUM HISTORY
The Fort Taber Fort Rodman military Museum opened in August 2004. Our collection consisted of twenty photographs, two shelf units and a display case. Since then it has grown in every way with new exhibited items, more volunteers, physical size with the construction of a new addition, and most importantly visitors. Our average annual visitor rate is over 8,500 people, resulting in the museum being hailed as the “biggest little military museum in the... read more