Fort Moultrie

On the day that we left North Carolina and drove by Congaree National Park we rolled into Charleston, South Carolina in mid-afternoon.  We knew we were going to take the ferry to Fort Sumter the next day but figured that we had enough time that day to hit the other part of the park on the mainland, Fort Moultrie.  A series of forts were erected during many different forts that culminated in the current fort that was shaped by a modernization campaign in the 1800s and then changes during World War I and II.

The first fort on Sullivan's Island, constructed of palmetto logs and sand, was still incomplete when Commodore Sir Peter Parker of the Royal Navy and nine British men-of-war attacked it on June 28, 1776. After a nine-hour battle, the ships were forced to retire. Charlestown was saved from British occupation, and the fort was named in honor of its commander, Colonel William Moultrie. In May 1780 the British finally captured Charlestown, including Fort Moultrie, finally evacuating the city in December 1782 as the Revolution entered its final year.

After the Revolution, Fort Moultrie was neglected, and by 1791 little of it remained. Then, in 1793, war broke out between Great Britain and France. The next year Congress, seeking to safeguard American shores, authorized the first system of nationwide coastal fortifications. A second Fort Moultrie, one of twenty new forts along the Atlantic coast, was completed in 1798. It too suffered from neglect and was finally destroyed by a hurricane in 1804. By 1807 many of the other First System fortifications were in need of extensive repair. Congress responded by authorizing funds for a Second System, which included a third Fort Moultrie. By 1809 a new brick fort stood on Sullivan's Island.
--from Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NHP website

We arrived and parked and headed in side fairly quickly, knowing that our time was limited.

Directly inside you're greeted by an impressive painting.

There are a number of exhibits.

I took a couple photos, but didn't look around too much since we knew we needed to get to the fort itself.

We picked up Junior Ranger materials and got our bearings on local geography.

Then we headed out the backside of the visitor center and across the street to the fort.

Before we entered the fort I detoured to the side to see what was out front.

It turns out that these were graves.  This one was the grave of the Seminole leader Osceola who was held at the fort at the end of his life.

This monument marks the grave of five sailors from the ironclad monitor USS Patapsco that sank in the harbor on January 15, 1865 after striking a mine.

Thankfully we didn't have to pay as we had an active Interagency Pass.

The tour started inside the walls.

There were plenty of long halls/tunnels.

The magazine needed to be safely protected from bombardment and the construction utilized concrete and a layer of earth.

Eventually you exited above ground inside the fort.

I was a bit surprised by how much grass there was inside the fort.

Directly after Pearl Harbor a buildup started at the fort to allow it to protect the coast from a possible attack/invasion.

From the observation post you could get a good view over much of the fort.

Below this tower was the entrance to the Harbor Command Post.

Down into the depths once more.

And through the thick protective door behind which air conditioning systems were active.

This was the Duty Officers and Operations Room.

This room served as headquarters for the officer in charge of the HECP-HDCP.  His primary duty was to take immediate action against any suspected enemy threat or activity within this defense sector.  Ships entering or leaving Charleston harbor were also monitored from this office.  The officer in charge supervised a forty man staff and was assisted by a senior noncommissioned officer.
--from exhibit signage

This was the radio room.

There were also large batteries installed as part of the fort's modernization that served as part of the defense of Charleston during the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II.

I thought that the name Battery McCorkle was a great name!

You could go up right next to the guns.

This battery was part of the defense after the Civil war and usage was discontinued after the Spanish American War.

50,000 pound guns like this one were not easy to move.

These foundations are the remnants of enlisted barracks that stood from 1809 thorough 1863.

These pieces of artillery were what were used for defense during the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

Northwest Bastionet.  U.S. forces under Major Robert Anderson hastily expanded this part of the fort in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War.  From here musket fire could sweep the adjoining walls to repulse an expected land attack.
--from exhibit signage

This was the powder magazine from the 1820s.

We also walked outside the fort to see the coastal side of the fortifications.

There were quite a few palm trees visible.

There are outlines of old doorways and traces of walls from the 1860s that were part of an extension of the fortifications at that time to protect the low walls.

It was very interesting to read about the Hunley.

I remember reading about this submarine when I was a kid.

It was awesome to hear about the recovery several years ago.

The row of cannons show different sized guns from different periods of time before or during the Civil War.

Before too long we had to take off as everything was closing up for the day.  You can find some more pictures of our visit in this album.

~Matt

Congaree National Park

On our way through South Carolina we made a stop at the Congaree National Park visitor center.  I didn't know much about it before we got there other than that it was a National Park site and one life goal I have is to visit each and every NPS site in the country.

Congaree National Park contains many places that tell the story of how people have used the land over thousands of years. Prehistoric people used places like Sampson's Island as a place to set up camp while within the floodplain to hunt and gather food. As the land was settled in the 18th century, transportation routes crossed the floodplain, requiring the services offered at places such as Bates Ferry to help get goods and materials across the river before bridges were built in the 20th century. Landowners using the land to raise livestock built large mounds that offered protection to their cattle and other animals from the regular flooding that covered the landscape. These places offer us a glimpse into how this land was utilized before becoming a national park.
--from Congaree NP website

Once you enter the park you pass through beautiful stands of trees on your way to the visitor center.

There was a picnic shelter next to the parking lot, but we ended up eating in the car as we left if I recall correctly as we needed to keep going.

The trail up to the visitor center was partly flooded due to the recent rains.

Thankfully it dried out as we got closer.

Inside were a number of exhibits about the history and natural surroundings of the park.

There are many different habitats within the forests of Congaree area--this display shows a small pool that could be formed by an overturned tree.

While we didn't see any, others see plenty of birds in the area.

Some of the signs hadn't been updated from the old verbiage since it became a National Park in 2003.

It took many years for the area to be preserved to protect the trees from further exploitation when all other nearby areas had been logged clear.

I found this display interesting as it shows how a tree that may technically be dead can sustain and shelter plenty of other organisms.

Thankfully mosquito weren't out in force on the day of our visit!

We looked around the book store for a bit and I ended up buying a book about Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox of Revolutionary War fame.

Early in the twentieth century the largest baldcypress trees in the area started to e logged, but thankfully it wasn't very productive so it didn't last too long.

We next headed out back to begin to explore along the boardwalk.

So much of the vegetation was lush and green.

Many trees towered overhead.

A number of trees even overhung the path.

Looking over the edge you could see why there was a boardwalk instead of a normal trail.

Sadly we turned back before too long because the rain picked up and headed back inside to watch the movie.

Right before we left I spotted this tiny frog on the wall outside.

Congaree is a park that we definitely want to visit again as we didn't get to see very much of it.  You can see a few more of the pictures I took in this album.

~Matt

Cradle of Forestry in America - Part III - Forest Festival Trail

After touring some of the exhibits and watching the movie we headed back outside towards the Forest Festival Trail.  It was great to get the kids outside so that they could run around a bit, even if we did have the rain to contend with.

The trail is 1.3 miles and blends Dr. Schenck’s forestry experiments with forest work today while allowing for discussions on many topics, including how plants grow, decomposition, forest issues, and past transportation methods. Highlights include an ozone garden, antique portable sawmill, and a 1914 Climax locomotive. Climb aboard and ring the bell!
--from Cradle of Forestry website

It was raining in earnest by this time so we all had our umbrellas out.

There was a handy map to explain the outlines of the trail as you began.

The path also included a number of kid friendly activities advertised as the Adventure Zone.

The first Adventure Zone activity we came to was a series of animal tracks.

I thought this was a very clever way to show what animal tracks look like.

We took shelter for a few minutes in an area where we learned how tree farming works.

I never really thought much about farming trees (except for Christmas tree farms), but it was interesting to see how they had to experiment and figure out what worked best.

The pond was another spot on the Adventure Tour, but as the rain was coming down we didn't stop to look for anything.

We next came to a portable sawmill.

This shed was another dry place to wait for a few minutes before we walked on to see the train.

We were able to climb on to the train and the kids enjoyed ringing the bell.

This log loader helped get logged trees out of the forest on trains.

This was the remnant of a mountain farmstead that like many other plots of land was included in reforesting efforts.

These stumps were an obstacle course for kids.

This sawhorse was provided for kids to "ride" while pretending to be on a horse.

Trout hatcheries were often used to help repopulate local streams.

We headed back to the building at the end of the trail.

You can see more pictures from our time at the Cradle of Forestry in this album.  It was definitely a place we enjoyed visiting and I'm sure we'll go back the next time we're in the area.

~Matt