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Photo courtesy of the
Florida Division of Historical Resources.
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Construction of this coastal fortification began in 1829. The seven-acre, five-sided structure was named after General Andrew Pickens, a Revolutionary War hero. Gun emplacements for more than 100 cannon were mounted within and on top of its brick walls. Building materials came from New York (granite and copper), Maine (lime), Illinois (sheet lead), and west Florida (timber, shell, and 21.5 million local-made bricks). Skilled slaves from New Orleans were employed at craftsmen's jobs and day labor was accomplished by local slaves. The fort was completed in 1833.
Fort Pickens became important during the Mexican War (1845-1848) and the Civil War, but otherwise it was lightly garrisoned. The fort was held by Union forces throughout the Civil War, contributing to the Confederate withdrawal from Pensacola in 1862, and it served as a military prison until 1868. Between 1873 and 1875, Fort Pickens housed soldiers suffering from yellow fever. From 1886 until 1888, Geronimo and other Chiricahua Apache Indians were held as prisoners in the fort. An 1899 fire ignited a store of ordnance that destroyed one of the bastions. Battery Pensacola was built at this time with 12-inch guns but became obsolete by 1934. Fort Pickens then was used as a training facility, especially during the early days of World War II. By 1947 it was abandoned as military strategy and weapons advances rendered it vulnerable. The fort became part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in 1972, administered by the National Park Service.
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