By 1800, the island actually became a defensive fo...

By 1800, the island actually became a defensive fortification in New York Harbor. The 11-point star-shaped structure that is now part of the base of the Statue of Liberty was actually built as a fort. It was completed in 1811, just in time for the war of 1812. Even when Bedloe s Island became home to the Statue of Liberty in 1886, the name didn t change. It wasn t until 1956 that the site of the statue officially became Liberty Island.