Panasonic DMC-ZS7

The first change was from my DSLR Canon Rebel Xti to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 Compact Digital Camera. While this change may seem like a step backward, it has critical benefits. The first big plus is not having to carry a large digital camera, multiple lenses and a bag full of gear. The second big plus is not having to carry a separate digital video camera for HD video clips. The Panasonic DMC-ZS7 also brings brings some new technology that the Canon Rebel Xti doesn’t offer, like GPS location marking of each image and image stabilization. Some of technical specs on the Panasonic are not quite equal to the Canon but the shortfall is insignificant if you factor in the need to change lenses to achieve better specs and there are things like video and GPS that the Canon just doesn’t do.

The downsides of the Panasonic are 1) it does not have a viewfinder, 2) the GPS can consume battery life even with the camera off and 3) there is some visible distortion at max wide angle. The viewfinder issue is serious when you are shooting in bright sunlight and you can’t see the detail in the screen. You may just have to guess a bit when framing a shot, no big problem so far. You can beat the GPS battery issues by simply buying two extra batteries and keeping them all charged, cost was just $33 for both. Most of the time a single charged battery will last all day but I have had a couple of days when I had to go to a second battery, never had to go to the third. I can live with the max wide angle distortion and sometimes it makes the shot more interesting, giving a slight fish eye lens feel. You can always back off a bit and do very well. The Panasonic comes with a Leica Elmar lens, 25mm wide angle and 12x optical zoom, max 300mm focal length.

Verizon MiFi-2200 and My Business Card

The second big change involved moving from the plug-in USB Verizon data card to the newer MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot. I have to have good connectivity while on the road because I update and maintain FortWiki.com and USForting.com on a daily basis. The original USB device could only be plugged into one computer at a time and could not connect our iPhones. Amy and I had to share the card and that tended to disrupt both our workflow. The MiFi 2200 is a small device that can be carried anywhere, operated either by rechargeable batteries or AC adapter. It can connect up to five devices at a time to the internet. Our 2 MacBook Pros, 2 iPhones and our WiFi Brother printer make a tidy little network in our RV. The amazing thing is that all this works while we are underway and the Verizon connectivity is awesome. AT&T connectivity in the western US stinks and we are seriously thinking of ditching our iPhones for new Verizon Droid Incredibles.

There is one possible downside but so far it has not been a problem. There is a limit of 5 GB per month on the best Verizon data plan and this clearly prohibits anything like video streaming. So far on our travels we have not used over 3 GB in any month.

So far both technology changes have worked well for us, improving our productivity and making our lives simpler.

John

Fort George Wright Junior Officer's Quarters

Fort George Wright in Spokane Washington was authorized as a full regiment post but somehow got shortchanged in the funding process and was built to house about half a regiment. That size limitation plagued the fort over it’s entire history and limited it’s missions.

Fort George Wright Commanding Officer's Quarters

Visiting Fort George Wright is a process because the majority of the remaining structures are located on the grounds of a private school for Japanese girls run by the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, a branch of Mukogawa Women’s University of Nishinomiya. I called ahead and made an appointment to visit the campus and the Fort George Wright Museum also located on the campus.

Fort George Wright Admin Building

I checked in at the administration building and they were most gracious. The main concern that the school has with visitors is that they respect the privacy of the students and we assured them that we would take special care to do that. The best time to visit is in the summer when the students are gone. Make sure you call first.

Fort George Wright Museum

We went to the museum first which is a small building located in the maintenance area and we were amazed at the number of displays and the depth of the information available. We moved out into the old post area and around the old Officer’s Row. The Institute has been a great steward of the fort property and they have achieved the correct balance between repurposing the buildings and honoring their origins.

Fort George Wright Quartermaster's Office

The maintenance of the grounds is immaculate and probably better than it ever was under the U.S. Army. Officer’s row looks great and the buildings include signage that explains the original heritage.

I walked all around the campus and was very impressed with the level and quality of the structural maintenance. This is another great example of finding the right steward for these great old posts.

The other half of the old post is on the property of the Spokane Falls Community College and we couldn’t find a single remaining structure or reference to the old post. It looks like they are so pressed for space that they are using every bit for parking and facilities. Quite a contrast in how organizations deal with our history.

Fort Harrison Commanding Officer's Quarters

When you first drive on the grounds it is difficult to figure out where the old post was, if you drive all the way to the back you will quickly figure it out. On the right side across the back is a row of NCO quarters and on the left is what is left of Officer’s row and between them is the parade ground with what looks like the old hospital building at the end. All of the remaining fort buildings have been repurposed and adapted for VA use as residences or for administrative use.

Fort Harrison NCO Duplex Quarters

The barracks once stood on the right hand side of the parade ground but they have been replaced by a variety of medical facilities old and new. The Officer’s quarters include the commanders quarters and three duplex quarters. The six NCO quarters include a mix of singles and duplexes. All of the buildings show signs of age and modification but are still identifiable.

Fort Harrison Officers Duplex Quarters

On the northeast side of the old post is the New Fort William Henry Harrison which houses Montana National Guard and Reserve units. There is a museum on the new post but it is only open on thursdays. We didn’t attempt to document the new post.

Fort Logan Blockhouse

We finished up with Fort Harrison pretty quickly and decided to move on to Fort Logan. Fort Logan was established in 1869 to provide protection for miners and settlers in the Smith River Valley of central Montana. It was garrisoned until 1880. The Fort is located on private property about 20 miles west of White Sulpher Springs on Hwy 360. The fort’s blockhouse is the only visible remaining building and the property owner has made great provisions for viewing of the blockhouse. Two flags were flying on the day of our visit and it was a great sight.

Middle Point MR Mine Storage Building

At the end of our Fort Worden stay we took an extra day to drive down to Fort Ward and Middle Point Military Reservation. We first drove from Fort Worden down to the former Middle Point Military Reservation which is now in Manchester State Park. I didn’t expect much since there was only one Endicott Period gun battery built and it was never armed. I was surprised to find a very large mine storage building and a complete mine casemate.

Middle Point MR Mine Casemate

The mine storage building had been repurposed as a park pavilion but still contained clues to it’s origins and had several interpretive signs so it was easy to imagine it in use. The tracks used by the mine transfer trolleys are still in the floor, pointing out and down to the water. The mine casemate was three empty rooms with a very clouded interpretive sign that you really had to get close to to figure out what it said. A trail led off to the right, along the shore, to Battery Mitchell not far down the trail.

Middle Point MR Battery Mitchell

Battery Mitchell is a bit unusual because it is completely level with the ground and completely surrounded by concrete, it kind of looks like a rectangular saucer buried up to the edge. The battery is surrounded by a waist high link fence and looks to be in good shape. It faces out into the Rich Passage and was originally intended to protect the mine fields launched from the mine storage building and controlled from the mine casemate. The reason the battery was never armed was that the guns of Fort Ward, just across Rich Passage, provided sufficient firepower to protect those mine fields.

Fort Ward Post Barracks

Fort Ward - We had briefly visited Fort Ward State Park last year on our way home and managed to really only see Battery Vinton and not much else. I was better prepared on this trip and by a stroke of luck the entrance we used last year was closed and we were forced to wind our way through the community to find another entrance. This new route took us through what looked like a fairly new community of upper middle class homes but I noticed that interspersed among the new homes were some decidedly military looking buildings and when we passed what was obviously a guardhouse I turned back to explore the neighborhood. It turns out that many of the original Fort Ward post buildings have survived and are repurposed. Even a portion of the parade ground survives as an open area for the community. Further down we discovered a barracks fenced off and with signage that indicated it was being restored. It was great to see the buildings in use and surviving after some 100 years.

Fort Ward Post PX and Gym

We hunted for Battery Nash first and finally found it hidden from direct view off of Park View Drive where it becomes NE Point View Drive. The battery itself is on private property and not open to the public but is viewable from a city easement a local neighbor explained. The battery is in disrepair and the subject of some controversy regarding it’s disposition. I did not have time to explore the exact nature of the problems but I did snap some photos and then moved on to locate Battery Warner.

Fort Ward Battery Nash Emplacement #1

Fort Ward Battery Warner

Battery Warner is also on private property but right next to NE South Beach Road Drive, behind a six foot lattice fence, I passed it four times before I figured out where it was. The fence runs right along the edge of the road and you can photograph the battery from the road. It is very close to private dwellings on three sides so you would not think a gun battery could be in that small a space. The Battery appears to be in pretty good condition.

Fort Ward Battery Thornburgh

Battery Thornburgh was not where I expected it to be or where my GPS said it was. We finally tracked it down by asking local residents, they indicated it was on a path up a hill just as you come through the northwest entrance to the park. If you get to the boat ramp from the north you have gone too far, that path is just north of the boat ramp and the parking lot. Follow the path up the hill a short way and you will find Battery Thornburgh. The Battery is on Fort Ward Park property but is not as well maintained as one would expect. Leaves and moss are on the emplacements and the magazine rooms are damp and dirty. Trees surround this battery and partially block the view of Rich Passage.

We passed by Battery Vinton but did not explore it because we had done that on a previous visit and there is not that much to see because it is half buried.

The two state parks are somewhat of a contrast with Manchester State Park explaining and taking care of it’s coastal defense heritage while Fort Ward State Park is more about being a public park and less about explaining how it came to be. Both great places to visit but study a bit before you go.

John

Visited 13-17 April 2010

Our CDSG Co-Hosts

The 2010 CDSG annual conference was held at Fort Worden, Washington and included visits to Fort Casey, Fort Ebey, Fort Flagler, Fort Whitman, Camp Hayden and various off post locations. The conference was co-hosted by Alfred Chiswell and Steve Kobylk and, along with the help of many volunteers, they did an outstanding job.

Fort casey, Battery Worth #1 Gun

Day 1 - Fort Casey, Fort Whitman and Fort Ebey. Planned visits to Fort Casey and Fort Whitman went well and the weather was great. Fort Whitman can only be accessed by boat and two separate trips, morning and afternoon, were required to get everyone out there. We took the 6:30 AM Washington State ferry from Port Townsend over to Whidbey Island where coffee and doughnuts awaited us at Fort Casey. I was in the afternoon group for Fort Whitman so I concentrated on Fort Casey and Fort Ebey in the morning. I took the long hike to Battery Parker for some pictures I had missed on previous trips. I revisited Battery Worth just to view those two magnificent 10″ guns and I got to actually crank the restored Taylor-Raymond shell hoist. The early morning light was great on Battery Worth and I got some super pictures. I also took the short van ride out to Fort Ebey to go through Battery 248 one more time. We were back for lunch by 11 and hats off to the Lions Club of Whidbey Island for a great picnic.

The afternoon was taken up by the trip to Fort Whitman and I did a separate blog post for that trip. See Fort Whitman on Goat Island CDSG-2010.

Fort Worden from Artillery Hill

Day 2 - Fort Worden. There is a lot to see on Fort Worden and it’s hard to do it all in one day. You could spend a whole day on the post itself with all the great period buildings, the Coast Artillery Museum, the Commanding Officers Quarters Museum, Point Wilson, the Visitor’s Center and the lower gun batteries. You can also spend a full day on Artillery Hill with the main gun line, eight major batteries (Tolles, Benson, Ash, Quarles, Randol, Brannan, Powell and Walker ), the HECP plus many other interesting features. I concentrated on the things that I had missed or were not open on previous trips. At the end of the day my feet were very sore. We stayed in the Fort Worden RV Park which is right next to Battery Kinzie and Battery Vicars so we had every day access to them.

Camp Hayden, Battery 131 Gun Emplacement #1

Day 3 - Camp Hayden. I was looking forward to the trip to Camp Hayden because there were several places that were not accessible on my previous trip that would be open for us as a group. On the lower level the plotting room and the interior of Battery 131 were open and very interesting. I also made the climb up to Battery 249 which the park and the volunteers had really cleared out for us. Battery 249 has become a bat sanctuary and access to the interior was limited. Our hosts provided another great picnic lunch under the pavilion by the water’s edge. After lunch we did a car convoy up to the Alternate HECP on Striped Peak that was a bit harrowing for some of the lower slung cars but we all made it and it was worth it. On our way out we visited the remains of the 155mm battery at Elwha. A very full day.

Fort Flagler Hospital

Day 4 - Fort Flagler. We started the day with a gathering of the 60+ attendees at Fort Flagler’s 3″ Battery Wansboro for the conference picture. This battery has both 3″ guns and carriages mounted so it is well worth visiting. The weather had turned and it sprinkled on us intermittently. I concentrated again on things I had missed on previous trips, Battery Bankhead, AAA Battery Locations, searchlight positions and the AMTB Battery on Marrowstone Point. Lunch was served in the old post Hospital building that is under renovation. We also visited the Museum and Gift Shop and toured the remaining batteries. Check out the pictures on my Fort Flagler page. That evening the conference wrapped up with a banquet held at Manresa Castle and everyone had a great time.

Middle Point Military Reservation, Battery Mitchell

After Conference Trips - I passed on the after conference Canadian Trip in favor of spending a day at Fort Ward and Middle Point Military Reservation and I’ll do a separate blog post on that trip soon.

Takeaways - I can’t say enough about the work done by our hosts and volunteers, they really went all out to make this year’s conference a great success. They also provided some outstanding takeaways ranging from hats and pins to DVDs/CDs with all the reference data and large numbers of great period pictures. Al Chiswell also provided a DVD titled “Fort Worden Virtual Tour” that is incredible, how did he do that?

This was a great conference, put on by a great organization, check out the CDSG if you are interested in coastal forts.

John

Update: Here is the post on Fort Ward and Middle Point Military Reservation.

Landing at Fort Whitman

The only way to get to Fort Whitman is by boat and once there you must climb an 80′ bluff to get to the the site. Back-in-the-day access was provided by a steam tramway from a wharf built out into the bay. Today, there is no trace of the tramway and all that remains of the wharf are a series of rotted out pilings. You must now land on the narrow beach and climb up a steep trail to the top of the bluff.

The Trail up to Fort Whitman

Luckily, our CDSG hosts had made all the arrangements and strung the steep path with ropes so we could make our way to the top. I was a part of the afternoon landing party and the boat trip out was great, with sunshine all the way.

The trip up the bluff went fine and we found ourselves at Battery Harrison which had been cleaned up by the CDSG volunteers and looked pretty good.

Battery Harrison Magazine

The battery was the only concrete Endicott Period battery built on the Island. It was a four gun 6″ disappearing gun battery on a single level built from a standard design. The only other structures remaining are a latrine in back of the battery and a mine control and observation post some 800′ to the southwest of the battery. Battery Harrison was in far better shape than I expected and it had only limited grafitti.

Battery Harrison Gun Emplacement #4

There was a lot of moss on the gun platforms and everything has a green tinge to it. The mine control and observation post was overgrown but still accessible. The metal roof was gone in places but the walls were built with thick concrete and remain intact. There were few signs of the other buildings that had been on the island. We did find the foundation of the Radio Station and some odd bits of metal but no trace of the temporary WWII buildings.

Fort Whitman Mine Control and Observation Post

We finished up our explorations and photos and headed back down the trail to the boat. The trip down was a bit more hazardous than the trip up and we did have one member slip off the trail. Everyone did make it back to the boat OK and the trip back was just as enjoyable as the trip out. The trip was a great success due to the preparation work done by our hosts, hats off to our CDSG hosts for a great job.

John

Old Fort Moultrie

The Fort itself has several geographic locations including old Fort Moultrie, the Fort Moultrie Military Reservation, the off post coastal batteries and the former Marshall Military Reservation on the other end of the Island. Fort Sumter itself is on an island in the middle of Charleston Harbor, reachable by ferry from two locations. Both of these Forts are must see places if you are in the Charleston area.

Fort Moultrie Civil War Gun Battery

Old Fort Moultrie is in great condition for a Second System brick fort. The fort you see today was constructed around 1809 over the remains of even earlier fortifications. That is only part of the story, because Old Fort Moultrie was in use over the War of 1812, the Seminole Indian Wars, the U.S. Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II and all of those era’s are on display. It is hard to understand how they managed to pack so much history within the walls of the old fort so effectively.

Fort Moultrie Battery Bingham and HECP

For example, there are two Endicott Period batteries complete with mounted coastal artillery pieces that cover the 1898-1946 time frame including a complete Harbor Entrance Command Post that looks as it did in 1945. There is an 1870’s transitional gun battery, a U.S. Civil War Battery and a pre-U.S. Civil War battery. At least three period magazines are on display.

There is just enough of the old Second System brick fort left so that you know exactly what it looked like and how it worked. There is an excellent visitor center just across the street from the old fort with a great view from the second story observation platform. Don’t miss Osceola’s grave just outside the sally port.

Fort Moultrie Battery Logan Gun Emplacement #1

The remainder of the on-post military reservation contains many other historic and significant structures that are not nearly as well kept or interpreted as the old fort. Many of the old post buildings have been repurposed as private homes but some of buildings are just deteriorating, like the old movie theater. It would be great if the old buildings were identified and interpreted. There is a great collection of cannons on the ground along the edge of the parking lot but the Endicott Period gun batteries ( Battery Jasper and Battery Logan) are neglected (especially Logan). I could not locate the World War II Battery AMTB-2 and Battery 230 is still in use.

Fort Moultrie Battery Gadsden Gun Emplacement #4 and the Library

As you go off post through the old post entrance, things don’t improve. Endicott Period gun Battery Gadsden has been repurposed as the as the Edgar Allen Poe Branch of the Charleston County Library, it’s in the best shape of the off post batteries but is suffering a bit of an identity crisis (gun battery or library). Battery Thompson across the street is neglected and mortar Battery Capron and Battery Butler have been covered over and are just a big mound of dirt.

Marshall MR Battery 520 Gun Emplacement #1 Residence

The old Marshall Military Reservation at the other end of the island was sub-post of Fort Moultrie and is now hardly identifiable. Civilian living quarters have been built into the massive casemates of Battery 520 and the four Panama mounts of Battery B are breaking up in the surf. It is really difficult to tell where the reservation was and there are no markers that I could find to explain it’s historic past.

Fort Moultrie Battery B Panama Mounts Breaking Up in the Surf

Our visit was most enjoyable, even though it was not a great day for pictures. There is so much to see that it takes a full day to do it all and a second day if you want to try to locate the historic post buildings that remain in the community.

John

Fort Caswell Commanding Officer's Quarters

The Baptist have been excellent stewards of the property and the Fort has the look and feel of it’s Endicott period heritage. The fort buildings probably look better than they did when the fort was in operation and that is no small feat. Most of the buildings are not open to the public because they are in use by the North Carolina Baptist Assembly.

Old Fort Caswell Walls

Only a small portion of the old brick Fort Caswell remains. You can see parts of three walls and one corner sallyport entrance. The old fort continues to deteriorate and large cracks and crumbling bricks can be seen. At this stage of the game it would take a major effort to restore what remains and not enough remains to really make it worthwhile. The reason that not much remains is that a large concrete Endicott Period gun battery was built over the south side of the old fort. This battery was named Battery Caswell and was a two gun 12″ Barbette carriage battery built in 1898-99, it consumed about half of the old fort.

Battery Caswell Gun Emplacement #2 with Swimming Pool Walls in Place

Battery Caswell itself suffered the major indignity of having both gun emplacements converted into swimming pools in 1937-38. There are a total of nine Endicott Period concrete gun batteries on the property in various states of repair. Considering their age and the exposure to the elements most of them are in pretty good shape.

Fort Caswell 109 Man Barracks

The restored buildings are really the story at Fort Caswell and it is really a pleasure to walk along Officer’s row and imagine what it was like back in 1900. It is also fascinating to see what the key buildings on the fort actually looked like, the barracks, the guard house, the hospital and all the support buildings. This is a must-see fort if you are in this area.

Fort Pulaski

The damage can still be seen on the southeast angle which was totally breached during the 10-11 April 1862 bombardment of the Confederate held fort by Union gun batteries. The angle was breach and the powder magazine exposed, forcing the surrender of the fort. You can still see the shell holes and some actual shells. You can see the large repaired area and you totally understand why the Third System Forts were suddenly obsolete.

Fort Pulaski Southeastern Angle Damage

Fort Pulaski is a must see fort if you are in the Savannah area, it is well maintained, well interpreted and just a gorgeous example of a Third System fort. It does only have a single tier of casemates but you can see examples of all the classic fort features and they do have a good number of mounted and dismounted cannons. One of the more interesting features is the large demilune that protects the single sallyport entrance. This demilune evolved over several decades to become what it is today with earthworks magazines and batteries. The moat is a fine example of a restored to operation moat and it is a beautiful example.

The internal parade is surrounded by casemates replete with displays of equipment and mounted arms. On our visit we were treated to a musket firing demonstration along with a guided tour. No shortage of interesting things to see.

Fort Pulaski Battery Hambright

There is also a Endicott Period gun battery, Battery Hambright, to the north of the fort. This was a small two gun, 3″ rapid fire battery that appears to never have been armed.

Fort Worden Panorama from Artillery Hill Viewpoint

Puget Sound has some great coastal fortifications in absolutely beautiful settings. The jewels of the Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound are Fort Worden with it’s Artillery Hill, Fort Casey with it’s panoramic view of the straights of Juan De Fuca and Fort Flagler with it’s central view of the straights. Fort Casey is especially noteworthy because of the two mounted 10″ disappearing guns in Battery Worth and two 3″ guns mounted in Battery Trevor. You can see the #1 gun of Battery Worth in the masthead of this blog.

The current schedule for the conference includes Fort Worden, Fort Casey, Fort Flagler and the outlying posts at Fort Ebey, Fort Whitman and Camp Hayden. There is also a post conference tour to Victoria BC, Canada, to view the Canadian side of the Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound. The detailed schedule for the Canadian trip is not out yet but it will probably include Fort Rodd Hill as the show piece of the Canadian side with lots more to see in and around Victoria, BC. See the official website for Canadian lodging information

If you have an interest in Coastal Fortifications you should consider membership in this fine organization and sign up for the yearly conferences, they are a real learning experience. Be sure to check out their great website at CDSG.org.

See the Official CDSG Conference Website. For Conference related questions, contact Alfred Chiswell at AGChiswel@aol.com or Steven Kobylk sjkobylk@aol.com

John