Fort Ligonier Pennsylvania

My first impression of the reconstructed Fort Ligonier was a simple Wow! There are several areas to the reconstruction, and each area more than holds it’s own. We started with the lower area outside the fort that contains period cannons, limbers, wagons and finally period support structures like the blacksmith shop and smokehouse.

Fort Ligonier Cannons & Limbers

It is hard to describe how exceptional is the display of cannons and limbers. The weapons and limbers look as if they has just been made.

Fort Ligonier Mortar

The cannons, mortars and howitzers are faithful bright brass reproductions on limbers that seem to display the full range and combinations of equipment that would have been used in this era, and all in mint condition. At the far end of this display are wagons and other transport vehicles. The display of typical outbuildings includes the blacksmith shop, bake ovens, smokehouse and hospitals.

Fort Ligonier Mortar on Limber

This lower level display is so interesting and comprehensive that you can easily spend an hour or more taking it all in. We next headed for the upper level stockade which is the innermost fortification. This stockade is a square with bastions at all four corners. The east bastions are of log and earth construction because they house the Armory and Powder magazine.

Fort Ligonier Cannon below Bastion

The west bastions and wall are fronted by a fascine artillery battery and are of log construction. Inside the stockade are five building reproductions that include an officers mess, officer’s quarters, enlisted barracks, commissary and quartermaster storage. These buildings contain excellent period interpretive displays and they really help to understand the workings of the fort.

Fort Ligonier General Forbes Hut

Don’t miss General Forbes Hut just outside the back gate of the stockade. As you leave the front gate of the stockade don’t miss the fascine battery off to your right. This battery has emplaced cannons, howitzers and mortars that illustrate what a 1750s battery might look like. This is a great complement to the display below that shows all of the armaments packed up for travel. As you leave the battery gate, take the time to walk around the space between the inner stockade and the outer fortifications. Scattered about are some mortar and swivel gun emplacements, more buildings and artillery batteries.

Fort Ligonier Dry Moat

I had skipped the museum when I paid the entrance fee because I’m usually disappointed by them and I’m always anxious to see the real fort. Well, this museum more than holds it’s own with the “real” fort. On display are a pair of George Washington’s saddle pistols and his handwritten memoirs. There is a great collection of archeological treasures, period costumes, maps and other period arms and gear. All of this is displayed in exceptional settings, clearly created by a professional hand. Far and away, the most impressive part of the museum is the collection of thirteen original paintings of the central figures in the French & Indian War.

Fort Ligonier Stockade Buildings

This is a collection not to be missed. How is it that this fort and museum are such exceptional treasures when most other historical locations are struggling just to keep open? The answer here seems to be a great staff and no government funding. Fort Ligonier is a private, not for profit 501(c)3 organization, funded by admissions, museum store purchases, and donations. It is not affiliated with federal, state or local government. The 2011 season begins on Friday, April 15. Hours of operation will be Monday – Saturday, 10 AM – 4:30 PM, and Sundays from 12 PM – 4:30 PM. (Closed Easter Sunday) Admission: $8 – Adults; $5 – Children ages 6 – 14; Ages 5 and under are free. Check out the website.

Fort DuPont Main Gun Line

We started the day with Fort DuPont at Fort DuPont State Park which is a combination of a state park and the Governor Bacon Health Center. The state park portion encompasses six Endicott Period gun batteries while the Health Center seems to take in most of the garrison area and buildings. It would be difficult to find the Endicott Period batteries if you do not know exactly where they are. It seems that the state park portion is run with the emphasis on the nature preserve, and the Endicott Period batteries are not even identified. The two mortar batteries have been repurposed or are seriously overgrown and are not really viewable. The main gun line housing Battery Read and Battery Gibson is viewable but not easily accessible. You can access the upper level if you go all the way around the front and climb through the brush. The area around the main gun line batteries was at least mowed, but the whole area was mosquito infested. I was unable to find a way to Battery Elder and Battery Ritchie and there was no one to ask, the place seemed almost abandoned. The garrison buildings have mostly been repurposed and are not identified as to their original purpose.

Three Forts Ferry

We moved on to Fort Delaware, which is situated on Pea Patch island in the middle of the Delaware River, accessible only by the Three Forts Ferry. This is a foot ferry, no cars, no pets, limited schedule, so be forewarned. Amy stayed behind with our dog, Destiny. The ride out was short and pleasant, and the rangers meet you at the dock with transportation to the fort. The old third system fort is a must-see fort, it is well cared for, well interpreted and well staffed. I spent several hours combing the fort and really enjoyed my time there.

Fort Delaware

In addition to the third system fort, there are five Endicott period gun batteries on the site. Three of the Endicott Period batteries were built into the walls of the Third System fort, and two of them are outside of the old fort moat. The two outside the moat, Battery Dodd and Battery Hentig, were viewable but not accessible, blocked by the dreaded yellow tape. Luckily both of these batteries are level with the ground and you can at least photograph the gun emplacements. The three batteries built into the old fort walls, Battery Alburtis, Battery Torbert and Battery Allen, were only viewable from a distance and were not accessible to the general public. I travelled back to the Delaware side on the ferry, and we drove around the harbor and over the bridge to Fort Mott on the New Jersey side.

Fort Mott 1904 Peace Magazine

Fort Mott is a total joy to visit, it was an Endicott Period post, now a state park. The main focus is on the military post and the five Endicott Period gun batteries. The staff and volunteers are a dedicated bunch and have done a great job. The batteries are open, visitor proofed, safe and interpreted. The dreaded yellow tape was only spotted at the lower level of one battery that is being restored.

Fort Mott Observation Tower and Post Headquarters

There are not a large number of post buildings remaining, but the ones that remain are well taken care of. Some things you hardly ever see were the Peace Magazine, the Observation Tower and gun yard. The grounds are well kept and very inviting. Battery Gregg and Battery Harker are well interpreted and have enhanced access to battery rooms and emplacements. Detailed explanations of battery functions and displays bring life to the battery.

Fort Mott, Battery Harker Gun Emplacement

On the river side of the post, there are a mix of 1870s period structures and Endicott Period batteries. Battery Krayenbuhl, Battery Edwards, the tunnels, the long parados and the moat all add to the detail of the fort. Do not miss the museum either.

John

Fort Hancock Bldg27 1898 BOQ

Begin with the fort itself which is largely intact but deteriorating. There is a long row of turn-of-the-century officer quarters looking very grand from a distance but the closer you get the worse they look. As you get close, you see the peeling paint, boarded up windows, broken porches and holes in the roofs.  There is one set of the original 80 man barracks that has been restored and looks terrific, but the other three are falling apart. The unusual BOQ building at the north end of the parade is certainly worth saving. Lots of buildings remain, see them while you can.

Fort Hancock Battery Potter Entrance

The gun batteries are the second main attraction at Fort Hancock, and they are a mixed bag. Battery Potter is the first disappearing gun battery and the only steam powered gun lift battery. Mike gave us an excellent tour because he knows so much about the history of the battery. The mechanisms are all gone, but the battery is truly impressive.

Battery Gunnison M1903 Gun with a Protective Cover Over the Breech

Battery Gunnison is an even more impressive story; it’s a terrific example of restoring a battery to working order. I had heard that they had a breech block for one of the 6″ M1903 Barbette guns, and I was delighted to see it actually operate. The biggest surprise was that I could actually traverse the the gun itself. Inside the battery, I was able to crank one of the shell hoists and to tour the recreated plotting room complete with operating communications equipment. Outstanding job of bringing a battery back to life. Now, if Tom would just let me shoot one round…

Fort Hancock, Battery Peck

The remaining batteries on Fort Hancock are not in as good shape. The main gun line is a magnificent view but not accessible to the public because it is deteriorating and unsafe. Battery Peck is extremely overgrown, and it is hard to identify the features. You can access Battery Peck from the base of the observation tower, but it is so overgrown that it is difficult to see anything. Battery Peck is significant because it was both an Endicott Period battery and a WWII AMTB battery.

Battery Kingman Casemate Overhead Shell Rails

There are two large casemated 12″ batteries on Horseshoe Cove that are kind of hidden away but in fair condition (Battery Kingman and Battery Mills). The magazine rooms are not accessible to the public and that is unfortunate. The unusual feature of these two batteries is that the overhead shell tracks are still in place, dangling in some cases but still there. The remains of Battery Arrowsmith are out on the tip of the cove and a bit hard to access.

The third place to visit is the remains of the Sandy Hook Proving Grounds (SHPG) in front of Battery Potter. You can almost visualize hundreds of gun tubes lined up waiting to be proofed and imagine the noise of the firing.

Highlands Military Reservation Battery 116 (Battery Lewis)

As a bonus, you should visit the former Highlands Military Reservation, now Hartshorne Woods County Park up in the Highlands above Sandy Hook. Two World War II batteries, Battery 116 (Battery Lewis) and Battery 219, are up there with a magnificent view of Sandy Hook. Don’t miss the twin lighthouses either.

John

Fort Miles, Battery 519 Gun Emplacement #1

The key attraction for me was Battery 519 because it has a mounted 12″ M1895MI rifle and M1917 carriage. This gun has been lovingly restored and displayed as a key part of a coastal artillery museum that is being built into Battery 519. Limited funding and volunteer hours limit the open hours of this great display to just a few hours a week and the opening of the museum seems to be years in the future. The best opportunity to see the gun and carriage of Battery 519 seems to be on Thursdays or Saturday at 2pm and Wednesday or Saturday at 7pm. These are summer hours and will change when the seasons change. Call ahead! (302) 645-8983 You can seen the same view of the gun tube in the picture by hiking around the south side of the battery. Unfortunately the glass enclosure hides the carriage from view because of the dark tinted glass, a big disappointment for me.

Fort Miles, Fire Control Tower #7

The circular fire control towers can be seen in almost every direction and there is one right by the parking lot for the Fort, lots of steps up but it has a great view in every direction and you can spot all of the other towers in the local area. At the other end of the parking lot, restored World War II temporary buildings line the road down to Battery 519. Lots of work and care has been put into these restoring buildings and they probably look better than they did when they were originally built. As you come to the end of the buildings the gun park begins and the first thing you notice is the 8″ railroad gun complete with a set of rails but no rail car. Guns seem to surround the old recreation building, everything from 90mm to 6″ mounted guns. Great display and lots of information.

Fort Miles Restored Cantonment from Fire Control Tower #7

The largest gun battery at Fort Miles was the 16″ Battery Smith (Const 118) and it is just down the road south of the restored fort buildings. The Battery now sits behind the Biden Environmental Training Center and is used by the Park Maintenance Section as a motor pool and storage area. You can get around it if the gates are open but not inside. The #2 emplacement looks like it was modified to be the base theater.

Battery Herring Gun Emplacement #1

Further south down the road is Battery Herring (Const 221) which was one of the 200 series 6″ gun batteries. Battery Herring is stripped of it’s sand cover and sits fully exposed behind a fence. You can photograph emplacement #2 through the fence but you have to walk further down the road and up a bank to see emplacement #1.

Battery 22 Emplacement #1 Panama Mount

The remainder of the batteries are out on the northern point and are mostly just gun pads except for Battery Hunter (Const 222) which I could not find before it was time to go. I did find the four Panama mounts for Battery 22. Emplacement #1 is right under the wooden walkway leading from the bathhouse to the beach and the three others trail off to the left.

This was a most enjoyable day and well worth the two hour drive from fort Meade.

John

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