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All the United States Florida Pensacola Fort Barrancas

Fort Barrancas

This now-deactivated naval base defended the Florida coast for centuries.

Pensacola, Florida

Added By
Kerry Wolfe
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Fort Barrancas.   Darrell Hitchcock
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Picture by Dylan Gentile; @G_E_N_T_I_L_E on Instagram   dylangentile2016 / Atlas Obscura User
Picture by Dylan Gentile; @G_E_N_T_I_L_E on Instagram   dylangentile2016 / Atlas Obscura User
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From its perch atop the bluffs, Fort Barrancas has witnessed decades upon decades of battles and conflicts along the Gulf Coast. The current fort, which was built between 1839 and 1844 atop an older bastion, protected a small sliver of Florida’s coast for centuries.

Before the American government took over the land, the Spanish, who more or less claimed the area until 1819, had strategically stationed a base there. Fort Barrancas was actually constructed atop the ruins of Fort San Carlos de Barrancas, a Spanish fort built in 1798. When it was built, there was an additional Spanish water battery tucked below the bluffs.

Fort Barrancas was the site of a pre-Civil War skirmish that happened just months before the war officially began. Florida militia, who opposed the recently elected President Abraham Lincoln, stormed the fort and demanded the U.S. soldiers stationed there surrender it to them. On January 10, 1861—the same day Florida seceded from the Union—the soldiers deserted Fort Barrancas and headed to Fort Pickens. Confederate soldiers were later stationed at Fort Barrancas until Union forces reclaimed the site over a year later.

The fort was decommissioned after World War II, after new technology rendered it obsolete. It opened to the public in 1980. People can wander around the old fortress and artillery battery to learn about its history. The tunnels that snake beneath the surface feel like portals to the fort’s past. The site also serves as the visitor center for the Gulf Islands National Seashore. 

Related Tags

Forts Military History Tunnels Civil War Visit Florida Subterranean Sites Military

Community Contributors

Added By

Kerry Wolfe

Edited By

elizabethhorkley, dylangentile2016

  • elizabethhorkley
  • dylangentile2016

Published

May 3, 2018

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  • https://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-barrancas-area.htm
  • https://www.nps.gov/guis/learn/historyculture/upload/031717_FortBarrancas_SiteBulletin.pdf
Fort Barrancas
3182 Taylor Rd
Pensacola, Florida
United States
30.349222, -87.300313
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Nearby Places

Pensacola Lighthouse

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Fort Pickens

Pensacola Beach, Florida

miles away

Wreck of the USS Massachusetts

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pensacola

Pensacola

Florida

Places 13

Nearby Places

Pensacola Lighthouse

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Fort Pickens

Pensacola Beach, Florida

miles away

Wreck of the USS Massachusetts

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pensacola

Pensacola

Florida

Places 13

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