If you’re in the Pensacola area, go and explore the historic Fort Pickens area on the western end of Santa Rosa Island, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, right near Pensacola Beach. You can’t lay out on the hot beach all day, can you? So why not make a trip to the west end of the island to see some cool history!
What is Fort Pickens?
The Fort Pickens area contains the well-built and surprisingly intact Fort Pickens Complex. This historic park was part of the defensive infrastructure to protect the Gulf Coast, specifically Pensacola Bay and its naval yard and depot. These coastal defenses include the fort, its cannons, and multiple artillery batteries, including Battery Cooper and Battery Worth, located on the West end of the island. It also includes a building with history on the Pensacola mine defense.
The National Park Service operates Fort Pickens, which is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Other Forts Nearby
As part of this defense, other military forts include Fort Barrancas and Fort McRee. Fort Barrancas is located inside the Pensacola Naval Station, home of the Blue Angels, while Fort McRee is located at the eastern tip of the Perdido Key barrier island.
So what’s the history of Fort Pickens?
Spain renounced its claims to West Florida and ceded East Florida. through the U. S. for 5 million US Dollars, as part of the 1819 Transcontinental Treaty Spain entered into with the United States. Congress appropriated funding for a lighthouse and the Pensacola Navy Yards area in 1825.
Coastal Defense Needed
President James Monroe recognized a defense was needed for the new Navy Yard and Depot in Pensacola Bay. Therefore, in 1828, the federal government acquired almost a thousand acres on the west end of Santa Rosa Island to build Fort Pickens. Construction of Fort Pickens started in 1829. The military determined it was imperative to construct Fort Pickens to withstand major battles and hurricanes. The western tip of Santa Rosa Island was a perfect place to build the fort to protect Pensacola Bay and the Santa Rosa Sound.
Fort Construction
They used over 21 and a half million locally made bricks. The design of the fort included five huge bastions or walls. Four of these walls faced water while one faced land to defend it from a land attack. Additional design requirements include that the buildings be two-tiered and have a counterscarp, or outer wall of the ditch, wrapping around the fort. The wall rose 40 feet from the bottom of the ditch, making assault over the wall very difficult.
The fort also used a double arch for extra support and strength. There was an arch at the top and a reverse arch at the bottom. The fort was officially named Fort Pickens in 1833. It was named after Brigadier General Andrew Pickens, who led patriots in the South Carolina backcountry during the American Revolution.
The engineers completed construction of the fort in 1834. Fort Pickens became the largest brick structure on the Gulf of Mexico at the time. It was a demonstration of the latest and best approach in coastal defense design, construction, and weaponry.
Defense of the Fort
The most significant defense of the fort was against the Confederates who attacked the fort on October 9th, 1861 in the Battle of Santa Rosa Island. The Confederate troops landed four miles away and attacked Fort Pickens with 1,000 men. Union soldiers at Fort Pickens repelled the Confederate attack. The Confederates retreated with 90 casualties. Fort Pickens also came into play in the Civil War, and during World War 1.
It truly played a part in American military history.
Battery Pensacola
As far as batteries, you have Battery Pensacola. Pensacola Battery is a two-story reinforced-concrete gun battery. It used the Endicott period 12-inch coastal gun battery.
Battery 234
This is Battery 234 and its neighbor, Battery Cooper, is the most interesting of all batteries at the Fort Pickens Unit because they have actual guns in place. And this is one of the two 6-inch guns with steel shields at Battery 234.
Battery Cooper
Battery Cooper, built in 1905 contains two 6-inch guns that face the Gulf of Mexico to protect the approach to Pensacola Harbor. Guns were placed on carriages that were lowered below the battery walls for loading, raised above the wall, and fired.
Battery Longdon
Battery Langdon, built in 1923, is the easternmost battery in the Fort Pickens area. It features a massive bunker that protected the US Army 12-inch/ 35 M1895MI gun on Barbette Carriage M1917, which fired a one-foot diameter projectile, weighing a half-ton, almost 17 miles.
Mine Storeroom
The U.S. Army constructed the Mine Storeroom in 1898 to hide their mine defense system. The U.S. Army retired their mine defence system in 1926. At that point, the U. S. Navy took over responsibility for the harbor’s mine system. The storeroom is operated as a store by the park’s tour boat operator, Pensacola Bay Cruises.
Military operations ceased in 1949 at Fort Pickens, along with the batteries on the west end of Santa Rosa Island. The buildings were abandoned in 1971, but the land remained under federal control and joined the National Park Service’s Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Now what to expect when exploring Fort Pickens and the Batteries?
Entrance to the park requires an entrance fee of $25 for a vehicle good for one week. Credit cards only! National Park passes are honored for admission. Luckily we had a National Park Pass.
You are able to explore Fort Pickens at your own pace or with a guided tour from a park ranger. There are some stairs to the second level of the structure, but are not required.
Recreational Activities
The Fort Pickens historical site is also a destination for families and fun with a variety of recreational activities. The Fort Pickens Campground has facilities for tents and RVs, along with picnic tables, hiking trails, the Fort Pickens fishing pier, and several parking lots with beach access. Campers will need to check in at the campground registration office.
Easy to Find
If you’re staying in Perdido Key where we were, or Pensacola, and elsewhere on Santa Rosa Island, all you have to do is head out of Pensacola, across to Santa Rosa Island then head west. You can’t get lost and you can’t miss it!
That’s where you’re going to find the Fort Pickens area. As you go West, you’ll drive west on Fort Pickens Road, come upon these gates, and then start seeing the Fort Pickens complex. Just keep heading around and you’ll see a parking lot off to your right. Go and enjoy the Visitor Center and the historic structures at Fort Pickens.
Closing
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