07 July 2010

Fort Jefferson


Click to enlarge - very cool photo.

This is a coastal fortress on the Florida Keys, and the "largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere" (16 million bricks).

Note the walls are surrounded by a moat!

Good summary at Wiki, with more details and many more pix at this link.

3 comments:

  1. Beautiful pic, but what is the point of the moat if the fort itself is an island? Curious. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. The use of a moat is one reason I posted the item. This explanation is offered at the link:

    "Although it might seem strange that a moat would be necessary outside a fort surrounded by miles and miles of ocean, it was intended to provide protection against not only potential invaders but also the relentless pounding of the surf."

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've always considered the moat a selling point in making Dry Tortugas the place to be when the zombies rise... aside from occasional inland missile silo, can you think of a better place?

    ReplyDelete

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