Dry Tortugas National Park

[Thagarr]

This has little to do with pirates, but I figured this was probably the best place to post this one. I ran across this while searching for pirate news. One of the least known US National Parks is the Dry Tortugas, comprising seven small islands, coral reefs and other undersea attractions, and nesting areas for a variety of wild birds. The park includes some 64,657 acres of land above and below the water line.

The coolest feature about this particular park however is Fort Jefferson! Construction of the pentagon shaped fort began in the 1840's, and wasn't fully completed until 1862. During the civil war, it was used as a prison for deserters and other criminals. In 1874 the army completely abandoned the fort after several hurricanes and a yellow fever epidemic, and it wasn't until 1898 that the military returned in the form of the navy, which used the facilities during the Spanish-American War. The fort was also used from 1888 through 1900 as a quarantine station, and was garrisoned again briefly during World War I.

Park History

The first European to see the islands was Ponce de Leon, who visited in 1513. de Leon caught 160 sea turtles there and subsequently referred to the islands as the "Tortugas" (turtles). During the 1600's and 1700's the area around the was used by pirates as a base for attacking merchant shipping in the Gulf, although this activity was largely eliminated when the United Sates acquired Florida in 1821. In 1825 a lighthouse was built on Garden Key to provide warning to shipping about the dangers of reefs in and around the Tortugas chain.

In the aftermath of the War of 1812 a set of forts stretching from Maine to Texas was envisioned to provide defense for the young country. Fort Jefferson on the remote Tortugas was planned as the greatest of these forts. In 1845 the islands became a military reservation and construction on the fort began in 1846. In 1850 the officer's quarters were completed, and the fort was officially named for Thomas Jefferson. The walls didn't reach their final height of 45 feet until 1862.

Construction on the fort dragged on for more than 30 years, and it was never really finished. In addition to the inconsistency of funding provided by Congress, the task was made difficult by the difficulty of shipping workers and supplies, as well as by the vagaries of weather in the Gulf. The invention of the rifled cannon during the Civil War rendered the walls of the fort vulnerable to destruction and made the fort itself somewhat obsolete.

You can read more about the park and the fort HERE!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

That IS cool. That fort is hexagonal, though.

 

[Thagarr]

Thanks Pieter, you are correct, it is indeed hexagonal! ...I blame lack of sleep, and working 10 hours in a huge sheet metal oven!