The Sherlock Holmes of Fort Zachary Taylor

The Sherlock Holmes of Fort Zachary Taylor. . New Beginnings , In July 1968, Howard England was tasked to evaluate the value of Fort Taylor which was then the Navy's junkyard. The first excavations in December 1968 quickly revealed buried Civil War armaments., For eight years, Howard England labored tirelessly with his volunteer "sand hogs," often working many hours alone. All told, he excavated over 50,000 cubic yards (equivalent to filling approximately 3,300 semi trailer trucks) of fill and rubble and uncovered 20 large guns along with their carriages and thousands of rounds of ammunition., Fort Taylor's First Park Ranger , In 1972, Howard England became the curator of the Fort. He was also the only individual ever entrusted with the care of a National Landmark. From 1979 to 1984, he served as the first Park Ranger assigned to Fort Taylor., He documented each major discovery and built some 16 detailed museum models of each type of weapon uncovered. Because of the number of guns he discovered, he became known as "Mr. Rodman.", In 1983, he received the first Park Service Distinguished Service Medal, His tenacious work pursuing his dream led to the 1985 opening of the Park. In 2000, he was named a "Great Floridian" recognizing his tireless work at Fort Taylor., Dedication , When asked why he devoted so much time and effort to his one-man crusade, he simply responded, "Someone had to do it.", (captions) , Howard S. England 1914-1999, This panel was made possible through a generous gift from the family and friends of Howard England in partnership with the Friends of Fort Taylor.