From the back side, it simply looks like a big hill. The Florida Trail circles around the west side of it. Overhead tracks were used in the batteries to move heavy guns and ammo Battery Langdonīuilt in 1923, Battery Langdon is essentially an enormous bunker. Two rifles atop it could shoot a shell 8 miles. It stands two stories tall and you can still climb up its staircases. Inside the brick and mortar walls of Fort Pickens itself, Battery Pensacola was added to the defensive complex in 1899. The Batteries at Fort Pickens Battery Pensacola In 1971, this federal land became part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. The land remained under Federal control but the buildings were abandoned. View across the Gulf of Mexico from the rampartsįort Pickens and the batteries scattered across Santa Rosa Island ceased military operation in 1949. While a railway line was built to move heavy equipment between the batteries, none of the gun emplacements were ever used. Apache chief Geronimo was imprisoned at the fort as a tourist attraction in 1886.įort Pickens came into play again during World War I with new defensive batteries constructed to protect Pensacola from foreign invasion. Layers of brick architecture are in evidence throughout Fort PickensĪfter the Civil War, the fortress served as a military prison. Chase was promoted to Major General soon after his demand for surrender of the Fort. Slemmer moved his men from the mainland to Fort Pickens to hold what President Lincoln considered a key position in coastal defenses.Ĭonfederate troops attempted to rout the entrenched Federals on Sep 2, 1861, during the Battle of Santa Rosa Island but failed, and subsequently abandoned the city to the Union forces. The night before Florida seceded from the Union – Janu– Federal commander Lieutenant Adam J. Original brickwork at Fort Pickens pre-dates the Civil War The fortress also contains 21.5 million locally made bricks. Its location was strategic to controlling access to Pensacola Bay, Florida’s largest deep water port.Ĭonstruction materials came from all over the world, including copper from Switzerland for the drains and granite from Sing-Sing.

Chase supervised construction of Fort Pickens between 18. Army Corps of Engineers, Captain William H. A fortress and village, the second of three that the Spanish would build around Pensacola Bay, sat on this end of the barrier island. In 1722, Spanish explorers claiming this part of the New World for the Crown established the Presidio Isla Santa Rosa.

While Fort Pickens – the fortress – is an imposing structure capping off the western end of Santa Rosa Island, the history of this area goes much deeper than the fort itself. The road ends as a loop around historic buildings at Fort Pickens. All features inside the Fort Pickens Unit are along the next eight miles of roadway. Continue on to the entrance station to pay your entrance fee. Follow it through residential areas in Pensacola Beach to the National Seashore gate. A toll (ranging from $1 to $2.50) is charged to your SunPass or license plate.Īt the traffic light with Fort Pickens Rd, turn right. This ramp leads to Pensacola Beach Rd (CR 399), which crosses Santa Rosa Sound on the Bob Sikes Bridge. Once you are in Gulf Breeze, watch for the exit on the right for Pensacola Beach with its iconic jumping sailfish sign.

Turn left at the light and cross the Pensacola Bay Bridge. Turn left and take this connector to US 98.

From Interstate 10, follow scenic US 90 south along the Pensacola Bay Bluffs into Pensacola to N 17th Street.

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