DID YOU KNOW? In Washington, there are three large artillery bases that never saw a shot fired in anger and are now peaceful state parks? Fort Worden is the most well preserved and was once home to six batteries and 41 guns, many of which were capable of flinging a 1,000-pound, five foot long by one-foot-wide explosive shell. Fort Worden is “full of treasures like an extensive, profoundly cool, and totally eerie complex of hardened gun emplacements (minus the guns), including empty bunkers, pill boxes, roads and trails, memorials, and confusing infrastructure. There are strange ladders and stairways to nowhere, as well as dark hallways that lead to even darker rooms hidden behind heavy blast doors.” (Atlas Obscura)
Last Saturday, after our environmental science lessons at sea (whale watching), it was time for a history lesson on land. We spent the evening hours at Fort Worden, which is located on the extreme northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Not really sure what to expect, we hiked about a mile into the state park and were stunned to see the haunting remains of what was once a fort full of activity.
This fort was built in the early nineteen hundreds, when there was concern that Seattle and Tacoma would be attacked by enemy warships because of their valuable military assets, including a large naval shipyard. In order to attack, ships would have to sail through a narrow bottleneck into the Puget Sound, so the three forts were built at the entrance to this critical area. The enemy never made an appearance, and since future wars were fought using aircraft, these forts never experienced a real battle.
As we wandered the fort, there were a number of signs warning that it was possible to get lost beneath in the underground tunnels, which we unfortunately did not have time to explore. However, we did explore much of the upper areas of the fort, including many tunnels, and took tons of pictures to share with all of you. (A quick tip with regards to the slideshow, click on the little expander in the upper right corner...otherwise some of the pictures are too large and will be cut off.)
In addition, I also recorded a couple short videos to take you along with us for an impromptu tour of two of the tunnels. We did not have strong enough flashlights to make for good lighting, particularly in the second video. Also, I am not a hugely chatty person, especially when the video camera is running, so please bear with me as I try to grow my skills in that area as well.
Watch at your own risk :)
Okay folks, there’s your history lesson for the day!
Until next time, God bless!
Works Cited
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fort-worden-artillery-battery
haha, love Maleah's random commentary in the first video, lol. It's nice to hear your voices again, lol. I would so love to explore those tunnels.😝