Fort Point San Francisco

[davedunne]

March 3, 2013 at 4:41 pm

1. Fort Point on the left and the Golden Gate bridge

Fort Point, located on the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge, was constructed between 1853 and 1861 and was designed to protect the San Francisco Bay from a naval attack. During the American civil war, the fort was a formidable deterrent and never came under attack from the Confederate forces.

2. Fort Point

Today, the fort is a museum and is part of the National Parks system. There aren’t very many exhibits in the museum but those that are on display are interesting and give an insight into the lives of soldiers that lived and worked in the fort during the years it was in operation.

3. Exhibit in The Filling Room where ammunition was filled with black powder

But for me, one of the best reasons to visit Fort Point is that the view of the Golden Gate bridge is awesome and unusual. Since the fort sits beneath the bridge you get to see the iconic San Francisco landmark from a view point that is different than the norm.

4. The Fort Point Lighthouse with the Golden Gate Bridge towering above it

One view point I am particularly fond of is of the bridge as seen through the dirty windows of the fort. Some of the windows have no glass but I think the dirt on on the glass adds to the atmosphere.

5. Interesting views of the bridge can be seen through dirty windows inside the fort

Here are few more photos taken inside the fort.

6. Gun powder barrels, stacked in the Powder Magazine

7. Inside the fort