From the June 18th Fayetteville (NC) Observer "Summer Exploring: Oceanfront Fort Macona fortress for history" by Michael Futch.
The fort now features a newly acquired fireable reproduction of a 32-pounder made by students at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro.
It was first garrisoned 177 years ago and has been restored to appear as it did in the Civil War. A few years ago, $12 million was spent on repairs and renovation.
The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Macon will be April 12, 2012, something I'd like to attend.
The fort is the centerpiece of a 422 acre park and is surrounded on three sides by water: Atlantic Ocean, Bogue Sound and Beaufort Inlet.
Construction on the masonry fort began after the War of 1812 and cost $464,000.
Robert E. Lee designed the front door and made modifications on the fort while he was a coastal inspector for the US Army before the Civil War. North Carolina militia seized it on April 14, 1861, and the Confederates held it for almost a year, mounting 54 heavy cannons. It fell after a 11 hour battle
During Reconstruction, it served as a Federal Prison. It was reactivated during the Spanish-American War and World War II.
I haven't been to it for many years.
A Little-Known Fort for Most People. --Old B-Runner
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