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Constructed between 1829 and 1834, Fort Pickens is the largest of four forts sited to defend Pensacola after the War of 1812. Construction of numerous batteries took place at this site with the evolution of weaponry and tactics following the Civil War. The last two gun batteries, completed in 1943, were never armed because of the favorable progress of the war. Fort Barrancas, on the mainland, served as headquarters and principal barracks facility for the 13th Coast Artillery Regiment. The tower at Battery Worth served as Harbor Entrance Control Post and Harbor Defense Command Post and the Fort Pickens area provided a checkpoint for coastal convoys.
Closed in 1947, this area is now part of the National Park Service Gulf Islands National Seashore.
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