Spring finally sprung here in the Seattle area. We took an
unusually nice day off weather-wise and drove to
Fort Casey State Park on Whidbey Island, one of our favorite picnic spots. Along with
Fort Worden and
Fort Flagler state parks, Fort Casey is a former coast artillery position built
around the turn of the twentieth century for the defense of Puget Sound. All
three state parks are great for hiking, camping, or letting kids play on the
old concrete batteries. Each one is around a two-and-a-half-hour drive from
Seattle, including sometimes waiting for a ferry. But Fort Casey is my
favorite.
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A new coat of paint and a restored
"disappearing gun" |
Fort Casey has always been less crowded than the more
noteworthy Fort Worden. Fort Worden, located at Port Townsend was the shooting
location for the movie “
An Officer and a Gentleman” with Richard Gere. Also, Port
Townsend is a picturesque tourist destination. Not that it’s a bad thing, but
it brings with it crowds and there is a bit of litter and graffiti on the walls
of the batteries. Fort Casey is quiet and clean. As a matter of fact, on our
visit we saw that the park is being restored to its original condition in that
workers are applying a fresh coat of paint and are mounting two restored “disappearing
guns.” This work should be complete by the end of May.
During the second half of the nineteenth century the United
States was concerned about the defense of their new territories in the Pacific
Northwest, particularly Puget Sound. There was a sense of urgency that came
with increased tensions with Spain in the lead-up to the Spanish-American war.
A survey of Puget Sound by the Corps of Engineers easily noted that Admiralty
Inlet was a narrow gateway into the rest of Puget Sound. In fact, Admiralty Inlet
is only about four miles wide. Construction was started in the late 1890s on
all three forts, Casey, Worden, and Flagler, that would create a “triangle of
fire” for any invading fleet.
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It is only 4 miles across Admiralty Inlet
between Forts Worden and Casey |
Fort Casey was activated in 1901. By 1907 there were 34 pieces
of coastal artillery sitting 100 feet above sea level. Similar strength was
located at the other two points of the triangle. This investment in defense
didn’t last very long. The threat of invasion diminished. So much so that
during the First World War, 13 of the guns were removed from Fort Casey and
sent to France as heavy artillery and rail guns. Battleships got bigger,
matching the forts for the size of guns. Also, the advent of the airplane that
was able to bomb the forts necessitated removing the cannons and replacing them
with anti-aircraft guns during the Second World War.
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| Great views at Fort Casey |
After WWII, Fort Casey stood vacant and fell into disrepair.
The fort was officially deactivated in 1953 and was later transferred to the
Washington State Parks. If you would like to know more about the defenses of
Puget Sound, read
this article on HistoryLink.org, or visit the
Coastal Artillery Museum at Fort Worden. You also might take a look at the book, "
The Pictorial History of Fort Casey" by Terry Buchanan.
