Thursday, November 4, 2021

Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West-- Part 1: Three Tiers and Lots and Lots of Cannons

From the October 31, 2021, Fort Myers (Florida) News-Press  "Florida History:  Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West" by Cynthia Williams.

Usually when you think of Key West, you don't think of military history.  Probably Duvall Street and all that partying and those sunsets.

But, Key West has a lot of military history.  Right there on Thompson Island just off the southwest tip of Key West stands Fort Zachary Taylor.  Built between1845 and 1866 of solid New England granite and ancient, impenetrable limestone.

It originally was a three-tier structure with cannons arranged along its 495-foot long, five-foot thick seaward walls -- 42 cannons to be exact, on each of its three levels, for a total of 126 cannons, each with a range of three miles.

--Old B-Runner


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