Exploring Fort Polaski

A few weekends ago, we visited Fort Pulaski in Savannah, GA. What was supposed to be a cloudy afternoon, turned into a beautiful day. Fort Pulaski has a lot of great history behind it. The fort was built to protect the United States and the Port of Savannah from foreign invasion. The Fort took 18 years to construct from start to finish and cost $1 million dollars to build.

We enjoyed watching these guys fire the cannons. They had a smaller cannon and the larger one, like the one behind us. The larger cannon one was loud. I could only imagine how deaf the soldiers must have been after firing off the cannons.

I'm sure the fort looks a lot different today than it did over a 100+ years ago when it was the center of a war. Back when the south and the north were at war with each other, the entire Fort was covered in dirt, trenches, and rubble. We learned that the soldiers built trenches to stop incoming cannons from rolling and causing further destruction. Also, along the walls of the second story, you'll notice rectangular windows. Back when the Fort was operational, every window was filled with a working cannon. The Fort was tactically armored on every side. 

Before the start of the Civil War, this Fort was only manned by two soldiers at any given time. 

The footprints of cannonballs that had once crashed into the brick walls, still remain today.

These pools of water border the fort to protect against foreign invasion.

I couldn't believe how tall these cannon wheels are. I'm 5'3. 

The left wall in this picture was one of two walls that was damaged badly during the war. 

The tip of this cannon was chipped from an incoming cannonball.

These rectangular windows are where cannons once sat. If you look closely at the wood floors, you"ll notice a rounded line that served as a track so the cannon could slide side to side when aiming through the window.  

Soldiers slept in these replicated bunks when living at the fort. 

The wood covering that leans up against the brick wall, is not an emergency slide like I had guessed, but a protective covering for soldiers who were trying to walk around the fort. These wood arches protected soldiers from falling debris and incoming cannonballs. The wood arches used to line the entire brick pathway, but now only one remains for visual purposes. 

On April 11th, 1862, Union forces fired upon Fort Pulaski for 30 hours before the 7.5 foot thick walls were breached and the confederates surrendered. 

These walls took the most damage during the war. 

What looks like a cute relaxing spot, used to serve as a major port for incoming ships. 

It's hard to imagine this area could dock ships 100 years ago. The water level is so shallow, and so are the surrounding grounds. This is a spot where stop to imagine what it used to be like back in the hustle and bustle of its day. Here I am 100 years later, walking around with my iPhone snapping pictures. I'm sure no-one saw that coming! 

We enjoyed time traveling back to the 19th century for a day. It's unbelievable how much progress mankind has made in such a short amount of time. Fort Pulaski is another historical and beautiful reminder of that. It's also a very well preserved example of 19th-century military architecture. Fort Pulaski is just a short 10-15 minute drive from Downtown Savannah and is open daily 9am-5pm. Definitely stop by and check it out if you ever find yourself in Savannah! This has inspired us to want to explore more Forts in the future. 

Check out some of our favorite things to do in Savannah, GA:

Date Night at The Crab Shack

Forrest Gump Film Location