Near Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Restoring a Fort

— Gulf Islands National Seashore —

Photographed by Connor Olson, July 28, 2024

1. Restoring a Fort Marker

Inscription. Fort Barrancas and the Spanish Water Battery deteriorated after the US Army closed its base here in 1947. A hard freeze in 1950 caused the parapet of the water battery's rifle gallery to collapse, and plants overgrew the structure. Debris filled Fort Barrancas tunnels and passageways. When the fort and battery became part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, the National Park Service obtained funds to restore them, and staff historians conducted extensive research. Using 90,000 new bricks, masons repaired the brickwork. Carpenters rebuilt doors, gates, and drawbridge. At one point a Navy explosives crew removed a live cannon ball fired in the Civil War era. The fort was opened to the public in 1980.

(caption) Front of the Spanish Water Battery in 1935 (far left), undergoing restoration by the National Park Service in the 1970s (left), and after restoration (above)

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

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1947.

Location. 30° 20.838′ N, 87° 17.833′ W. Marker is near

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Pensacola, Florida, in Escambia County. It is on Taylor Road 0.3 miles north of Radford Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3182 Taylor Rd, Pensacola FL 32508, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep 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: Spanish Water Battery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort McRee (about 300 feet away); Barrancas in Coastal Defenses (about 300 feet away); Fort Barrancas Area (about 700 feet away); Pensacola’s First Lighthouse (approx. ¼ mile away); First Pensacola (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pathway to Early America

Photographed by Connor Olson, July 28, 2024

2. Restoring a Fort Marker

(approx. 0.3 miles away); Spain to Pensacola (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pensacola.

Also see . . . Gulf Islands National Seashore - Fort Barrancas. National Park Service (Submitted on July 30, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 216 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.