Key West in Monroe County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Fort Taylor
Photographed By Jay Kravetz, September 25, 2016
1. Fort Taylor Marker
Inscription.
Fort Taylor was constructed in 1845 as part of the Third Tier System of Defense which called for the establishment of masonry fortresses constructed along America’s coastline to prevent sea attacks upon the United States. This fort was an important defensive structure for the United States because of its command over the waters over the Straits of Florida and of the Gulf of Mexico. When completed, the fort was three stories tall, held 140 cannon and was home to almost 450 soldiers. Fort Taylor remained under federal control during the Civil War and was the headquarters of the U.S. Navy East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron. The current form of the fort is largely the result of alterations made in 1898, including the removal of the upper two tiers, filling case-mates with sand and obsolete ordnance, and construction of modern rifled artillery emplacements Battery Adair and Battery Osceola. Fort Taylor continued to defend the United States during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. The Fort’s service to the nation ended in 1947. Fort Taylor is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.
Fort Taylor was constructed in 1845 as part of the Third Tier System of Defense which called for the establishment of masonry fortresses constructed along America’s coastline to prevent sea attacks upon the United States. This fort was an important defensive structure for the United States because of its command over the waters over the Straits of Florida and of the Gulf of Mexico. When completed, the fort was three stories tall, held 140 cannon and was home to almost 450 soldiers. Fort Taylor remained under federal control during the Civil War and was the headquarters of the U.S. Navy East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron. The current form of the fort is largely the result of alterations made in 1898, including the removal of the upper two tiers, filling case-mates with sand and obsolete ordnance, and construction of modern rifled artillery emplacements Battery Adair and Battery Osceola. Fort Taylor continued to defend the United States during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. The Fort’s service to the nation ended in 1947. Fort Taylor is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.
Erected 2008 by Florida Park Service and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-647.)
Location. 24° 32.858′ N, 81° 48.513′ W. Marker is in Key West, Florida, in Monroe County. Marker can be reached from Southard Street, 0.6 miles west of Whitehead Street (Road 1). Marker is in Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 601 Howard England Way, Key West FL 33040, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2017, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 735 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on March 10, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 10, 2017, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
