Fort Pickens

Fort Pickens is one of a number of fortifications that protected naval facilities located inside Pensacola Bay. The name is in honor of Revolutionary War hero General Andrew Pickens of South Carolina. The Pensacola Navy Yard was begun in 1825, and in 1829 construction of the fort began. Brigadier General Simon Bernard and Colonel Joseph Totten designed Fort Pickens, while Captain William Henry Chase was the onsite engineer for construction. Five years and 21,500,000 bricks later, Fort Pickens was completed. The fort was not fully utilized until the start of the Civil War when 1st Lt. Adam Slemmer moved a single artillery company from Fort Barrancas to the rundown fort. Twice, over the course of a year and a half, the Confederates at Forts Barrancas and McRee exchanged fire with Federals at Fort Pickens before the Confederates withdrew from Pensacola Bay in 1862. Fort Pickens then became a military and political prison and earned the distinction of being one of only four forts in the south to remain in Union control. After the Civil War the fort was relegated to caretaker status with minimal staff until 1886-1888, when it became a temporary political prison housing Geronimo and many other Apache prisoners. Around the turn of the century several concrete batteries were installed around the fort and another was placed inside the parade ground. In 1899, a fire started near the northern bastion and grew out of control, reaching stored ammunition causing a massive explosion. The damage was more extensive than any that occurred during the Civil War. During WWI and WWII Fort Pickens was active as both an artillery and anti-aircraft defense location. In 1946, Fort Pickens was determined to be a surplus property and the weapons were sold for scrap metal. Afterward, the Army turned the land over to the jurisdiction of the Florida Board of Parks and Historical Monuments. Fort Pickens became established as a State park and became a part of Gulf Islands National Seashore upon its creation in January 1971. The old fort underwent extensive repairs beginning in 1975. Reopened to the public in 1976, today Fort Pickens is a popular tourist attraction.

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