Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Intricate Gun Rooms

— Dry Tortugas National Park —

Photographed by Pete Skillman, November 20, 2023

1. Intricate Gun Rooms Marker

Inscription. Most of Fort Jefferson's heavy guns were mounted in intricately built casemates like this one. Notice the arched ceiling, which was designed to transfer the massive weight of brick and cannon on the upper tiers to the vertical piers. To build the arches, carpenters made wooden frames on which skilled masons laid brick and mortar.

Notice, too, the embrasure or hole in the wall through which the gun crew could fire cannonballs at ships. Between firings, the iron Totten shutters—named for the fort's chief architect, Gen. Joseph G. Totten—closed automatically to protect cannon and crew from enemy fire.

(caption)
The fort, designed to hold 420 guns on three levels, was never fully armed. Whitewashed walls and ceilings brightened casemate interiors.
Cannon pivot rail
Embrasure with replica Totten shutters

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles.

Location. 24° 37.694′ N, 82° 52.354′ W. Marker is in Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. It can be reached from

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no nearby street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Fort Jefferson - Key West, Key West FL 33040, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Keys.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Makeshift Living Quarters (within shouting distance of this marker); Building a City on the Sea (within shouting distance of this marker); Touring Fort Jefferson (within shouting distance of this marker); Deadly Crossfire (within shouting distance of this marker); Water in "Dry" Tortugas (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Mudd's Cell (within shouting distance of this marker); Gunrooms (within shouting distance of this marker); In Memory of Brevet Major, Jos. Sim Smith

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(within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Key West.

Also see . . . Dry Tortugas National Park. National Park Service (Submitted on February 1, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 247 times since then and 31 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on January 29, 2024, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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