Confederates abandoned the fort in September 1861. In July, the USS Union Massachusetts would engage in a brief gun battle with the cannons placed there with limited damage to either side. The fort was manned by Confederate militia just after secession in January 1861, abandoned, then remanned in June. The fort was not fully completed, but remained in use until 1903. Very little remains of Fort McRee today.įort Massachusetts - Fort built on the Mississippi side of Gulf Islands National Seashore on West Ship Island, twelve miles off the coast, from 1859 to 1866. When the Confederacy abandoned Pensacola in 1862, Fort McRee was burned. During the Civil War, Fort Barrancas was abandoned by Union forces in favor of Fort Pickens.įort McRee - Built on the east side of Perdido Key from 1834-1839, it was a three tiered fort also abandoned by the Union in favor of Fort Pickens. Yes, there were forts here even before the 1797 edition, reaching back to 1698. Yes, slaves were used in its construction.įort Barrancas - Originally the old Spanish fort named Fort San Carlos de Barrancas that was built in 1797, today's Fort Barrancas was rebuilt, with two other forts, to protect the Pensacola Navy Yard. One of only four southern forts never surrendered to the Confederates during the Civil War, despite attacks in 1861 to bring them under control. Largest of the Pensacola forts, and named for Major General Andrew Pickens of the South Carolina militia who fought in the Revolution at Cowpens and the Siege of Ninety-Six. It covers both the Mississippi and Florida units of the park.Fort Pickens - Historic fort built from 1829-1834 on Santa Rosa Island. The following is a one-hour documentary on Gulf Islands National Seashore. It is only a few feet difference between modern civilization and beaches that remain as they have been for thousands of years. There is a marked difference between public and private land, as hotels and restaurants butt right up to the park border. The National Park Service only owns sections of the island and has kept these areas from being developed. The main island is Santa Rosa Island, home of Pensacola Beach and large areas of development. In contrast, all sections of the Florida unit can be accessed by car, for even though the park is still comprised of islands, causeways across Pensacola Bay connect them to the mainland. There is a small, mainland-based portion of the park located in the swamps of Davis Bayou near Ocean Springs (Biloxi area). Only one island has public ferry service. The Mississippi portion of the park is largely made up of barrier islands that can only be reached by boat. For all intents and purposes, they are two separate parks and are visited by two distinct sets of vacationers. The Mississippi and Florida sections of Gulf Islands National Seashore are 70 miles apart by boat and 125 miles by car-the state of Alabama sits between them. Yellowstone, Assateague Island National Seashore, and a few other parks are situated across the borders of adjacent states and are thus one, continuous mass of land. It is also one of the few National Parks that lies within two different states, and even rarer because the states do not border each other. Gulf Islands National Seashore is the largest National Seashore in the National Park system. Gulf Islands National Seashore Map (click to enlarge)
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