Fort Taylor (2)

Fort Taylor 1872, by Seth Eastman

Fort Taylor from the land side 1861

Fort Taylor (2) (1846-1947) - Construction of this Third System fort began in 1845 and was essentially complete in 1860. Declared surplus and turned over to the Navy in 1947. Named for Zachary Taylor and also known as Fort Zachary Taylor.

Fort Taylor History

Fort Taylor was designed as a three tiered fort in the shape of a trapezoid and was located off shore about 1000' on the southwestern side of Key West island. By the end of 1860 the fort was ready for occupancy.

U.S. Civil War

Union troops secured the fort for the Union 15 Jan 1861 and by March 1861 the fort had a complement of 178 guns. Fort Taylor, Fort Jefferson, and Fort Pickens were held by Union forces throughout the U.S. Civil War. Fort Taylor served as headquarters for the Union Navy East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron and guarded some 300 captured vessels anchored in front of the fort. Fort Taylor never saw hostile action.

Endicott Period

Fort Taylor was upgraded during the Endicott Period with 9 batteries . The top two levels were removed and newer coastal artillery was emplaced.

World War II

Anti-aircraft guns were install on the old Adair Battery in 1943 during World War II.

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Fort Taylor Civil War Armament No. Caliber Type 6 10" Columbiads 83 8" Columbiads 42 42-pounders 11 32-Pound Howitzer 36 24-Pound Howitzer Source: Harper's Weekly, 2 Mar 1861

Fort Taylor Endicott Period Battery (edit list) Battery Click on Battery links below No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Notes Battery Seminole 8 12" Mortar 1897-1903-1904-1942 Armament sold & removed 15 Dec 1944 Battery Osceola 2 12" Barbette 1898-1899-1900-1943 Armament sold & removed 16 Oct 1944 Battery De Leon 4 10" Disappearing 1897-1903-1904-1942 Battery destroyed 1962 Battery Covington 2 8" Disappearing 1897-1903-1904-1917 Battery destroyed 1962 Battery De Kalb 2 6" Pedestal 1904-1904-1906-1917 Battery destroyed 1950s Battery Gardiner 2 4.72" Pedestal 1898-1899-1900-1913 British Armstrong Guns Guns & Carriages to Hawaii Jul 1913 Battery destroyed 1962 Battery Ford 2 3" Pedestal 1903-1904-1906-1946 Battery destroyed 1964 Battery Inman 2 3" Pedestal 1904-1904-1906-1946 In West Martello Tower Battery Dilworth 2 3" Masking Parapet 1899-1900-1901-1920 Battery destroyed 1970s Battery Adair 4 3" Masking Parapet 1899-1901-1904-1920 Source: CDSG ,

Fort Taylor World War II Batteries Battery No. Caliber Type Mount Years AMTB #5 2 90 mm Fixed Pedestal 1943-1946 Unnamed 4 155 mm Tractor Drawn Carriage Panama Mount 1943-1946 Source: Coastal Defense Study Group

Current Status

The fort site was transferred to the Navy in 1947 and was used a storage yard for scrap metal. The Department of the Interior took over the property until it was deeded to the State of Florida in 1976. The fort is now a Florida State Park.

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Location: Key West, Florida Maps & Images Lat: 24.547884 Long: -81.810207 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: '

Sources:

• Robinson, Willard B., American Forts: Architectural Form and Function, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1977, ISBN 0-252-00589-9, page 114-115
• Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W., Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present, DaCapo Press, 2004, ISBN 0-306-81294-0, page 226,227
• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 209-210

Links:

• Fort Taylor
• Fort Taylor Endicott Period
• State Park Site
• Wikipedia
• Civil War Album

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