Despite earlier preservation efforts, plans for streets to bisect the outline of Fort Massapeag were proposed, and a town map in 1950 reflected this potential threat. The commitment to preserving this significant site was in jeopardy.
However, a local preservationist, John O'Halloran, played a crucial role by taking aerial surveys to accurately relocate the fort's embankment, ensuring its boundaries could be protected from development. O'Halloran enlisted archaeologist Carlyle Smith in 1953, who had previously investigated the site with Ralph Solecki in 1938. Smith's remapping and documentation were vital in reinforcing the fort's boundaries.
Later, in 1991, a dedicated group of citizens collaborated with Massapequa Planning Committee Chair John MacLean and TOBAY Deputy Commissioner of Public Works George Peters to successfully halt another developer's plans to destroy the land. Ultimately, the Town of Oyster Bay recognized the importance of the site and decided it should be permanently preserved for future generations.