In the Dry Tortugas National Park on the south coast of Florida, one can see an abandoned fortress with an interesting history. It is called Fort Jefferson, and is the largest brickwork in America: its long walls are made of 16 million handmade bricks!
This fortress was erected in 1846 by the American army in order to combat pirates operating in the Caribbean. It featured some of the largest and most advanced weapons of its age: enormous heavy guns, mounted inside the walls, could fire 432-pound projectile a distance of three miles and needed seven men to maintain it. Armed American officers and soldiers were here, as well as military depots. The maximum number of garrison was 1729 people.
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There was not enough fresh water in the area, so the place was called Dry Tortugas (Dry Turtles). Innovative tank system was installed in the fortress, but over time it became unusable.
Photo: By U.S. National Park Service, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo: By Acroterion, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo: By Asblawyer, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Fort Jefferson Contained Prisoners and Deserters During Civil War
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In 1867, some prisoners died due to an epidemic of yellow fever
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One of the famous prisoners of the fortress was Dr. Samuel Mudd, who participated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In 1888, the building was transferred to the Marine Corps service, which turned it into a quarantine station.
On January 4, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt declared the area a National Monument
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By 1992, Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson had become a National Park
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Photo: Russell Conard/flickr (Public domain)
One can visit it and explore the surroundings. This fascinating landscape simply cannot be described in some words!
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You can get there by ferry, private yacht or on board of a seaplane
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Fort Jefferson was built in 1846…
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… and was aimed to protect protect a strategic sea location along the world’s busiest shipping routes
Photo: By Joe Parks from Berkeley, CA (Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Prisoners were kept in it during the Civil war
Photo: By Lindsey C. Straub, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In 1888, the Marine Corps service turned the fortress into a quarantine station
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Photo: By Lindsey C. Straub, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
It creates a creepy atmosphere of an abandoned building.
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Photo: By Melissa Clark, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
However, it’s hard to deny the beauty of the area
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Especially when there are endless turquoise waters around which is considered to hold some of the healthiest underwater wildlife in the world!
Photo: By Richard Gangemi, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Brooke Cortez