Editing Fort Pickens
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
|ownership=[[National Park Service]] | |ownership=[[National Park Service]] | ||
|visitors= | |visitors= | ||
− | |mapcode= | + | |mapcode= |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Fort Pickens''' is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on [[Santa Rosa Island]], at the entrance to [[Pensacola Bay]]. It is named after [[Wikipedia:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]] hero [[Andrew Pickens]]. The fort was completed in [[1834]] and remained in use in some form until [[1947]]. | '''Fort Pickens''' is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on [[Santa Rosa Island]], at the entrance to [[Pensacola Bay]]. It is named after [[Wikipedia:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]] hero [[Andrew Pickens]]. The fort was completed in [[1834]] and remained in use in some form until [[1947]]. | ||
Line 67: | Line 28: | ||
Fort Pickens is currently part of the [[Gulf Islands National Seashore]], and as such, is administered by the [[Wikipedia:National Park Service|National Park Service]]. The '''Fort Pickens Area''' encompasses the western seven miles of Santa Rosa Island, including the fort itself as well as numerous auxiliary batteries. | Fort Pickens is currently part of the [[Gulf Islands National Seashore]], and as such, is administered by the [[Wikipedia:National Park Service|National Park Service]]. The '''Fort Pickens Area''' encompasses the western seven miles of Santa Rosa Island, including the fort itself as well as numerous auxiliary batteries. | ||
− | == | + | ==Construction== |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
[[Image:Fort Pickens map 1861.png|thumb|right|1861 sketch of the fort]] | [[Image:Fort Pickens map 1861.png|thumb|right|1861 sketch of the fort]] | ||
− | French engineer [[Wikipedia:Simon Bernard|Simon Bernard]] was appointed to design Fort Pickens. | + | French engineer [[Wikipedia:Simon Bernard|Simon Bernard]] was appointed to design Fort Pickens. Construction on Fort Pickens lasted from [[1829]] to [[1834]], with 21.5 million bricks being used to build the fort. Much of the construction was done by slave labor. |
Fort Pickens was the largest of a group of forts designed to fortify Pensacola's harbor. Fort Pickens supplemented [[Fort Barrancas]], [[Fort McRee]], and the [[Navy Yard]]. Located at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island, just offshore from the mainland, Pickens guarded the island and the entrance to the harbor. Its construction was supervised by Colonel [[William H. Chase]] of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ironically, during the [[Civil War]] some years later, Chase was later appointed by the State of Florida to command its troops and seize for the South the very fort he had built. | Fort Pickens was the largest of a group of forts designed to fortify Pensacola's harbor. Fort Pickens supplemented [[Fort Barrancas]], [[Fort McRee]], and the [[Navy Yard]]. Located at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island, just offshore from the mainland, Pickens guarded the island and the entrance to the harbor. Its construction was supervised by Colonel [[William H. Chase]] of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ironically, during the [[Civil War]] some years later, Chase was later appointed by the State of Florida to command its troops and seize for the South the very fort he had built. | ||
Line 99: | Line 56: | ||
A number of weapons emplacements were constructed in and around Fort Pickens throughout the years. | A number of weapons emplacements were constructed in and around Fort Pickens throughout the years. | ||
===Battery Pensacola=== | ===Battery Pensacola=== | ||
− | '''Battery Pensacola''' was constructed in [[1898]] on a portion of the parade ground within Fort Pickens. At the battery were mounted two 12-inch rifles on disappearing carriages capable of firing 1,070 lb. shells approximately 8 miles.<ref name="NPS">[http://www.nps.gov/archive/guis/extended/FLA/History/Battery.htm National Park Service - Gulf Islands National Seashore]</ref> The battery was declared surplus in [[1933]] and its guns were removed in [[1934]].<ref name="Quesada">de Quesada, Alejandro M. ''A History of Florida Forts: Florida's Lonely Outposts.'' The History Press, 2006.</ref> | + | '''Battery Pensacola''' was constructed in [[1898]] on a portion of the seven-acre parade ground within Fort Pickens. At the battery were mounted two 12-inch rifles on disappearing carriages capable of firing 1,070 lb. shells approximately 8 miles.<ref name="NPS">[http://www.nps.gov/archive/guis/extended/FLA/History/Battery.htm National Park Service - Gulf Islands National Seashore]</ref> The battery was declared surplus in [[1933]] and its guns were removed in [[1934]].<ref name="Quesada">de Quesada, Alejandro M. ''A History of Florida Forts: Florida's Lonely Outposts.'' The History Press, 2006.</ref> |
===Battery Van Swearingen=== | ===Battery Van Swearingen=== |