Saturday, July 26, 2014

History - Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas

An isolated fort 70 miles away from nearest land, a place where everything had to be brought by ship. This fort was established to be a guardian for the young USA.


Fort Jefferson
The Dry Tortugas


Lower Archways of  Ft. Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, by DG Hudson


The cannon slots in the end wall are narrowed to keep out the enemy's cannonballs, but the range of the cannons firing was limited from those locations. Wide areas such as those above were more suited to moving of military equipment and supplies within the structure.


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Parade Ground and Courtyard
circa 2006
Fort Jefferson marching grounds, black Lighthouse on right, by DG Hudson


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Two level archways in the rainy mist overlook deserted grounds at Fort Jefferson. Park employees live here for several weeks at a time to assist with tour information and oversee repairs and restoration. Hurricanes and storms have caused damage to the fort as recently as 2004.


Fort Jefferson, The Dry Tortugas, by DG Hudson
 


Fort Jefferson Moat

From this point of view, the fort does look like the prison that it was. High walls, small windows and a place for security guards to observe on the upper level. But where would any escapees go without a boat?


Fort Jefferson Moat, Dry Tortugas Nat'l Park by DG Hudson


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Do you like to explore historical locations? Have you ever 'motored' south of Miami to Key West? Do you take adventure tours to offshore spots like the Dry Tortugas?

Please leave a comment to let me know you dropped by, and I'll respond. I'm blogging slower through the month of August, but I will post when I can.

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References:

Wiki on the Dry Tortugas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_Tortugas

For more blog information on Fort Jefferson refer to a previous post
Key West, Florida - A Vacation to Remember

More Fort Jefferson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jefferson,_Florida

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