Naval Operating Base Dutch Harbor & Fort Mears, Stockade, Unalaska, Aleutian Islands, AK

Significance: The Stockade houses American military personnel who had committed infractions. Although several Japanese prisoners were held briefly at Dutch Harbor, they were houses elsewhere. It is representative of similar complexes on other American installations built in a response to the perceived need to enforce discipline. / Built in 1943, the Stockade at Fort Mears Garrison Number Two is a complex of frame structures standing within the perimeter of a chain link fence topped by barbed wire. The square guard tower is sheathed in diagonal board and batten siding, and features a wood deck set on simple brackets at the upper level. Above, windows on all four walls provide a commanding view of the area within the perimeter of the fence as well as the surrounding countryside. A bath house and a cabana lie in ruins nearby. The Stockade houses American military personnel who had committed infractions. Although several Japanese prisoners of war were held briefly at Dutch Harbor, they were quartered elsewhere. The Stockade was abandoned when Fort Mears was declared surplus in 1952 and has deteriorated significantly.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-14
Survey number: HABS AK-34-X
Building/structure dates: 1943 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 85002733