A visit to Fort Barrancas is really a visit to
two frightfully historic forts! The Spanish built the
Batería de San Antonio to cover the entrance of Pensacola Bay at the end of the 18th century, and when the United States built
their fort on the same hill in the 1840's, they did so
directly behind the Spanish fortification...and instead of doing the standard thing, which was destroy the old fort to make room for the new, they repurposed the Spanish fort to serve as a water battery! Well done and admirably thrifty,
Joseph G. Totten!
Fort Barrancas made for an
extremely dreamy starfort visit. Its location (atop a hill), shape (kitefort?) and size (smallest "parade ground" physically possible, but with a warren of exciting tunnels) make it unique amongst American starforts, and everything has been lovingly maintained. The old Spanish fortification has been painted a startling white, which makes things squinty when you're visiting it in the bright Florida sunshine!