Fort Macon State Park North Carolina

We drove to Fort Macon State Park on a cold and windy day. The fort is located south of Morehead City in Cartaret County, along the Bogue Banks. It was built as part of the 3rd system of US fortifications in defense of the shoreline. The purpose of the Fort, which was completed in 1834, was to protect the Beaufort Inlet and Harbor from foreign invasion. It was taken over by the Confederates at the beginning of the Civil War. A year later the Union forces recaptured the fort and held it through the civil war. During the Spanish American War in 1898, it was used as a supply depot and Prison. The State of North Carolina acquired the property in 1924. The Fort was restored by the Conservation Corp in the 1930's and reopened as a park in 1936. At the start of WWII it was taken over as a base for coastal defense against German U-boats. It was returned as a State Park after the war.

Fort Macon has a beautiful Visitor's Center. We walked through the exhibits, then made our way outside to the five sided, star shaped, brick and stone fortress called a bastion fort. The placement of each point allowed cannons to protect each other from soldier invasion. Casemates, or vaulted rooms, line the circumference of the pentagon. They are built into the earth and open to the inside of the fort. The casemates have been staged into period settings like the commanders quarters, mess hall, bunk houses and munitions storage rooms. We were able to walk through each of them and learn about what life looked like for a soldier.

Fort Macon Cannon

Cobblestone entrance

Casemates

We were lucky to stumble upon a junior high school group watching a union soldier perform a musket demonstration. The soldier did an excellent of job keeping the attention of about 60 tweens as he gave a detailed account of the steps a soldier would have to take to use a musket. 

Fort Macon Soldier

Musket Shooting Video

Fly Over at Fort Macon

Fly Over at Fort Macon Video

Casemate window 
Hand pump

Stairs to the parapet

Munitions storage

Weapons and gear

Dummy Rounds

1911 Colt Automatic Pistol

Fort corridor 

Mess Hall

Kitchen

Pantry

After spending the morning at the Fort, we hiked along the Elliott Coues Nature Trail, a beautiful but hilly course that took us through forest, salt marsh and sand dunes along the Bogue Sound. There is so much to see and learn at Fort Macon. We could return over and over and find something new each visit. 

View of the Sound from the fort

Swamp

Forest path

Salt Marsh

View of the sound from dunes