Fort Jefferson (Florida)
Fort Jefferson National Monument | |
Key West in the Gulf of Mexico | |
Area | 47.125 acres (19.071 ha) |
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Built | 1847 |
NRHP reference No. | 70000069[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 10, 1970 |
Fort Jefferson Prison | |
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Part of U.S. Government | |
Controlled by | Union Army |
Site history | |
Built | 1861 |
In use | September 1861 – April 1, 1869 |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Garrison information | |
Past commanders | Colonel Bill Wilson |
Occupants | Union soldiers, Confederate prisoners of war, civilians |
Fort Jefferson is a former U.S. military coastal
History
Construction
In late December 1824 and early January 1825, about five years after
While Commodore Porter thought the Dry Tortugas were unfit for a naval station, others in the U.S. government thought the islands were a good location for a lighthouse to guide ships around the area's reefs and small islands. A small island called Bush Key, later called Garden Key, was selected as the site for the lighthouse, which became known as Garden Key Light. Construction began in 1825 and was completed in 1826. The 65-foot (20 m) lighthouse was constructed of brick with a whitewashed exterior. A small white cottage for the lighthouse keeper was constructed beside the lighthouse.
In 1829, under recommendations from Commodore
Construction of Fort Jefferson (named after the third U.S. President,
The new fort was built so that the existing Garden Key lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's cottage were contained within the walls of the fort. The lighthouse continued to serve a vital function in guiding ships through the waters of the Dry Tortugas Islands until the current metal light tower was installed atop an adjacent wall of the fort in 1876. The original brick lighthouse tower was taken down in 1877.
Design
The design called for a two-tiered
The Army employed civilian carpenters, masons, general laborers, and Key West
In order to support such a large population in an area lacking fresh water, an innovative system of cisterns was built into the walls of the fort. Sand-filled columns were placed at regular intervals in the inner walls, spanning their height from the roof to the foundation. The columns were intended to filter rainwater from the rooftop for long-term storage in a series of underground chambers. However, the rainwater dissolved salts in the sand, or the cisterns had not been made tight, making the water unfit for drinking, but usable for washing and cooking. Only the rainwater runoff stored under the parade ground was fresh for drinking. Two steam condensers distilled 7,000 US gallons (26,000 L) of sea water per day during the Civil War. The fort enjoyed "... much better water than we have had heretofore," which was stored in the parade ground cisterns.[5]: 40, 62–63
Civil War
At the onset of the Civil War, 62 men of the Second U.S. Artillery Regiment, under the command of Major Lewis Golding Arnold, were moved to the fort, preventing it from falling into the hands of rebel forces. Capt. Meigs took over as the Superintending Engineer in 1860, and worked feverishly to improve the security and defenses so that the fort's heavy guns were first fired on 26 January 1861. The fort had a population of 168 persons at the time, including women and children.[5]: 31–43
Two companies, 160 soldiers, of the
In September 1861, the first prisoner soldiers appeared, those sentenced by
Post-Civil War
On 24 July 1865 four special civilian prisoners arrived. These were
In November 1865, the
Mudd helped provide medical care during a yellow fever epidemic at the fort in 1867. The epidemic killed many prisoners, including O'Laughlen, and Joseph Sim Smith, the 5th Artillery's surgeon. A monument to Smith and his son is still present on the parade grounds. Mudd, Arnold and Spangler were pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and released.[5]: 110–113, 120, 124
The seawall was finally completed in 1872 and six 15-inch (38 cm) Rodman guns were in place on barbette (third) tier.[5]: 126 The total number of large-caliber guns was 243. The guns were never fired.[4]
Frequent
Neglected, stripped by vandals, swept by repeated tropical storms that crushed brick and concrete and bent girders, Fort Jefferson deteriorated rapidly. It remained unoccupied until the
In 1902, the property was transferred to the Navy Department, and coal rigs and water distilling plants were built. When these were destroyed by hurricanes in 1906, the fort was again abandoned. Two years later the entire group of islands was set aside as a federal bird reservation. Until 1934 Garden Key and the crumbling ruins were merely a rendezvous for fishermen and tourists.[9]
During World War I, the lighthouse was decommissioned, but a wireless station and naval seaplane facility was operational.[5]: 128–129
Park designation
On January 4, 1935, President
Accessibility
Fort Jefferson can be reached by a daily ferry from Key West, as well as by chartered seaplane and private boat. As a national park, primitive camping is permitted on the beach. Visitors by ferry typically spend four hours on the island, which is enough time for a guided tour of the fort, lunch on the boat and a swim (snorkel equipment provided) on the reef. The fort also features a museum and bookstore.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Dry Tortugas National Park (U.S. National Park Service)".
- ^ Trips: Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park
- ^ a b Florida guide, p. 205.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8130-3019-7.
- ^ "Lee, Robert E. A letter regarding the reservation of the Florida Keys for military forces".
- ^ Pirtle, J., Smith, G., & Reed, M. B. (n.d.). The African American Experience: At Fort Jefferson, 1847-1876. New South Associates. Retrieved 15 February 2024 from http://www.npshistory.com/publications/drto/african-american-experience.pdf
- ^ National Parks Service. (n.d.). Slave Labor at Fort Jefferson. Retrieved 15 February 2024 from https://npshistory.com/brochures/trading-cards/drto/slave-labor-at-fort-jefferson.pdf
- ^ Federal Writers' Project (1939). Florida. A Guide to the Southernmost State. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 206.
- ^ "Fort Jefferson Renovations, Dry Tortugas National Park - Key West FL". Living New Deal. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
Further reading
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond (1979). Seacoast Fortifications of the United States. Annapolis: Leeward Publications. ISBN 978-0-929521-11-4.
- Weaver II, John R. (2018). A Legacy in Brick and Stone: American Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, 1816-1867, 2nd Ed. McLean, VA: Redoubt Press. ISBN 978-1-7323916-1-1.
External links
- Fort Jefferson Preservation on YouTube
- Bennett, Craig M. Jr. (May 2013). "Rebuilding the Walls of Fort Jefferson" (PDF). Structure: 30–33.
- Historic American Buildings Survey(HABS) documentation:
- HABS No. FL-44, "Fort Jefferson, Garden Key, Dry Tortugas Islands, Monroe County, FL", 44 photos, 13 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HABS No. FL-44-A, "Fort Jefferson, Enlisted Men's Barracks I", 2 photos, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. FL-44-B, "Fort Jefferson, Enlisted Men's Barracks II", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. FL-44-C, "Fort Jefferson, Powder Magazine A", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. FL-44-D, "Fort Jefferson, Powder Magazine B", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- HABS No. FL-44-E, "Fort Jefferson, Hot Shot Furnace", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page