- Construction of this fort, previously known as Fort William (1699)and Fort Anne(1704), began in 1643, on Winter Island. It would be active during threats from the Dutch in the 1670's, the French and Indian War, all the way up to World War II. Fort Pickering was ceded by the town to the U.S. government in 1794. It was substantially improved by the federal government during the Spanish American War period (1898.) The U.S. government returned the fort to the city of Salem in 1926.
- Its name was changed officially to Fort Pickering in honor of General Timothy Pickering on Oct. 30, 1799.
- It was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1973.
- Fort Pickering Lighthouse was built in 1851 by the United States Lighthouse Service (which later merged with the Coast Guard).
- Vertical File in Salem Collection - Fort Pickering
- Vertical File in Salem Collection - Forts
- "Salem's forts: strongholds of history" Salem Evening News, May 4, 1976, p.8
- Old Naumkeag: an historical sketch of the city of Salem by C.H. Webber and W.S. Nevins, p. 220-225.
- Salem in the Eighteenth Century by James Duncan Phillips, p.51, 133, 217,255,330,371.
- Essex Institute Historical Collections Vol. 31: p.107, 109; Vol. 33: p.88, 97,119; Vol. 36: p. 215; Vol. 1: p.56; Vol. 4: p.131; Vol. 5: p.260; Vol. 10: pt.III p.9,15,60,61; Vol. 21: p. 216; Vol. 60: p.67; Vol. 65: p.253, 517.