Fort Zachary Taylor (Key West, Florida)
Key West · Florida · Civil War
History & Significance
Thompson Island, at the southwest tip of Key West, was selected as the fort's site in 1822, and plans drawn by Simon Bernard and Joseph G. Totten were approved in 1836. Construction began in 1845 as part of post-War of 1812 coastal fortifications.
In 1850, the fortress was named after U.S. President Zachary Taylor, who died in office that year. Yellow fever epidemics and material shortages slowed construction throughout the 1850s.
At midnight on January 13, 1861, Union Captain John Milton Brannan moved his 44 men of the 1st U.S. Artillery Regiment from Key West Barracks to Fort Taylor, taking the initiative to prevent it from falling into Confederate hands. The fort's main role was to serve as headquarters of the U.S. Navy's East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron.
Fort Taylor never saw hostile action, but historians argue that because of its blockade mission, the War of Rebellion did not continue longer than it did. In 1898, Army engineers removed the top two tiers of the three-story fortress and constructed two Endicott-period coast artillery batteries. The fort remained on active duty until 1947 when it was surplused to the U.S. Navy; it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 and donated to Florida in 1976, opening to the public in 1985.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Nation's largest collection of Civil War-era cannons on display
- Well-preserved 1845 brick fort structure and Civil War fortifications
- Adjacent sandy beach with water views
- Exhibits covering Civil War, Spanish-American War, and Cold War history
- Historic Union outpost during the American Civil War
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Zachary_Taylor
- https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/fort-zachary-taylor-historic-state-park/history
- https://fortzacharytaylor.com/park-fort/
- https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/fort-zachary-taylor-historic-state-park
- https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/fort-taylor-key-west-imprisonment-paradise