Fort Barrancas in Pensacola

It had been many years since we had been to Fort Barrancas in Pensacola and we could not have asked for a prettier day to go back. It is an interesting  place and we recommend a visit to anyone who has not been.

Spain had a fort very nearby that they constructed in 1698. The British built on this site in 1763. The Spanish built new fortifications and Andrew Jackson seized the forts in 1814 and 1817. The fort saw its final action in the Civil War and was abandoned by Confederates in 1862. It remained part of the coastal defense until the end of W.W. II. Now it is part of the National Park system but admission is free.

We all but had the place to ourselves, so I took a lot of pictures. 

The mechanism that worked the drawbridge.

These are entrances to long passages from just inside the main entrance.

We opted to go up first.

The Pensacola Light as seen from atop the fort.

A nice view of the bay from atop the fort. At one time there were three forts---one on each point---that protected the bay.

Yup!!

The ceiling was quite low through this passage.

The plasterwork was ornate over these doors, causing us to wonder if it was the quarters of the highest ranking officer.

Back inside one of the passages:

These loopholes were for shooting through and the higher openings were to allow smoke out.

Cannons pivoted on these stone arches on the floor.

 I loved the ceiling in this room.

B noticed these little measuring devices attached at various places on one corridor.  It is our guess that data is being collected to document the separation of these two walls over time. The gap varied in different rooms.