Fort Jefferson (1)
Fort Jefferson (1) (1846-1874) - Construction began in 1846 supervised by the Army Corps of Engineers and continued for 30 years and was never completed. Abandoned in 1874.
Fort Jefferson (1) History
Established to protect a critical point and to control shipping in the Gulf of Mexico.
Designed as the largest Third System brick and masonry fort in the U.S. Fort Jefferson is a three-tiered six-sided 420 heavy gun fort, with two sides measuring 325 feet, four sides measuring 477 feet and bastions at each corner. The heavy guns were mounted inside the walls in a string of open casemates, facing outward toward the sea through large embrasures.
This fort, like all the other Third System Forts was made obsolete by the adoption of large caliber rifled cannon that could penetrate the brick and masonry walls. The destruction of Fort Pulaski by Union batteries in Apr 1862 signaled the demise of the Third System Forts.
Used during the U.S. Civil War as a prison for criminals from the Union Army.
Current Status
- 1908 Wildlife refuge
- 1935 became a National Monument
- 1992 Dry Tortugas became a National Park
The park is staffed with about a dozen park rangers who live year round in accommodations built into the casemates of the fort.
Access to the island is provided by commercial boats and seaplanes based in Key West.
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Location: 70 miles west of Key West on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas Islands, Florida. Maps & Images Lat: 24.628611 Long: -82.873333 |
Sources:
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 178-179
- Robinson, Willard B., American Forts: Architectural Form and Function, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1977, ISBN 0-252-00589-9, page 115-117
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond, Seacoast Fortifications of the United States: An Introductory History, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 7th printing, 1993, ISBN 1-55750-502-0, page 43, 54,
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Fort Jefferson (1) Picture Gallery
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