Fort Barrancas
Fort Barrancas sits on a bluff overlooking the entrance to Pensacola Bay. The natural advantages of this location have inspired engineers of three nations to build forts. The British built the first fort on this site, the Royal Navy Redoubt, in 1763. The Spanish built a stronger fort, completed in 1797, called San Carlos de Barrancas. Below the bluff the Spanish built a masonry water battery, named Bateria de San Antonio by June 1798. After the War of 1812, the USA built forts at all major harbors. To protect the naval yard at Pensacola 4 forts were built: Pickens on Santa Rosa Island; McRee on Foster's Bank; Barrancas and Advanced Redoubt on the mainland.

In 1861, 1 company was assigned to the forts when war threatened, these 50 men, under Lt. Adam Slemmer, moved from Fort Barrancas to Fort Pickens. State troops occupied Barrancas. The forts exchanged heavy gunfire in November of 1861 and January of 1862. Confederates abandoned the Pensacola forts in May of 1862.

New cannon and ironclad ships of the Civil War made masonry forts obsolete and new weapons of World War Two finally made all coast artillery obsolete for the U.S.. The fort became a part of Gulf Islands National Seashore in 1971.

Permit Information
No permit needed.

Directions
Fort Barrancas sits on a bluff overlooking the entrance to Pensacola Bay.

Information Center
Take Hwy. 295 south to the park entrance. Continue south, following the signs to the fort.

Activities