Sunday, August 19, 2012

Mount Vernon WA, Ft. Worden

Here are the last pics from the Hoodsport area. These are pics from the day trip to Fort Worden.  May be a bit repetitious for some of you as it was all about the batteries and coastal defense.  Mike and I find it interesting though and I know some of you like history as well as I!

We thought the batteries down at Ft. Stevens on the Oregon coast were impressive but this place takes the cake!  There is literally a city of batteries, not just ones that housed the big guns that ranged anywhere from 3 to 12 inches, but batteries for the mortars as well.  Once again, for all the impressive defenses displayed, we never fired a weapon in defense from any of our west coastal locations!  They did a lot of practicing though!

After the Korean War, Fort Worden was officially decommissioned in 1953.  The state of WA purchased it in 1957 to use as a diagnostic treatment center for troubled youths. (the youths were housed in the barracks on the fort, not in the batteries;)  It was acquired by the state parks in 1971 and opened as a state park in 1973.

I hope you can read the interpretive signs:




One can wander for hours inside these batteries in the dark if one wishes;)  I mean pitch black dark;)








this tiny building housed one of the spotlights that was used to light up targets on the water.......

the light traveled on a track to the edge of the cliff when needed (Mike is standing where the spotlight would be)

tunnels led from one battery to the next in some places on the point




this poem is part of a meditative display on the grounds.......

...along with the "throne"..........  

.......and the "thinker" chair;)

this place is now a huge playground.....great for hide and seek.  this is another tunnel leading to lower batteries






Fort Worden was decommissioned in 1953.....note how many stars on our flag at that time

this building was used for......balloon craft

No comments:

Post a Comment

Spam Museum, Austin, Minnesota

We were staying just a few miles away in Blooming Prairie and, of course, were going into Austin to a couple of breweries....how could we no...