No, this isn’t an early Halloween!
The Hubster and I stopped at Fort Casey Historical Park, about 9 miles, or 16 minutes, from Fort Ebey, and just a few feet to the Coupeville Ferry Terminal where we will catch the ferry to Port Townsend, Washington.
The park is a great place for flying kites, and there is plenty of space for kids to be kids (999 acres (including surrounding protected reserve areas and the spit)!
There is camping, history, bird watching, fishing, crabbing, boating, beach walking, dog walking, picnicking and more…lots to do here!
*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!
Forts Casey and Ebey on Whidbey Island, Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island, and Fort Worden at Port Townsend formed a defensive “Triangle of Death” for the strategic Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound against invading ships.
These once formidable forts (built in the 1890s) are now all very peaceful and family friendly parks. I have been to all of them, except Fort Flagler, with my family, and they have all been fun to explore.
A disappearing gun, a gun mounted on a disappearing carriage, enabling a gun to be hidden from direct fire and observation. These guns were easier to reload and had a higher rate of repetitive fire. However, disappearing guns were vulnerable to aerial observation and attack, and needed camouflage.
Even the bunnies love it here!
Battery Henry Kingsbury was in service from 1908 – 1942. It had two disappearing guns.
You see that dock just beyond the battery in the photo below?
That’s the Coupeville Ferry Terminal. If you are early for your ferry, you could spend a very pleasant time stretching your legs at this park.
We did.
Battery John Trevor was in service from 1904 to 1933. This battery was armed with two 3-inch guns, like the photo above. These guns were light enough to be carried, had a shorter range, and could fire 30 rounds per minute.
The battery was named for 1st Lieutenant John Trevor (5th U.S. Cavalry), who died in 1864 at the Third Battle of Winchester, Virginia, during the Civil War.
Yes, you can go into the switchboard. You definitely need a flashlight or a headlamp for this one!
And there are bats; at least one. This is a very cool place to imagine yourself working in (not for the claustrophobic)! There are YouTube videos for the curious!
The primary observation bunkers:
Observers had powerful telescopes for surveillance and tracking. They took precise measurements of targets and sent them to the plotting room.
The view from the observation bunkers:
The plotting room where field observations were converted to coordinates for aiming and shooting artillery. Weather and tide conditions, distance and direction of targets had to be calculated as well.
Unfortunately, the lighthouse was closed at the time of our visit.
Time to catch our ferry ride.
What a great way to spend an afternoon!
See the world around you!
Previous Posts:
Eastsound Waterfront and West Beach
Interesting. I wonder how many times they had to use the gun and in what circumstances.
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Other than for practice, the guns were never used. They were dismantled and taken elsewhere. Although it never hurts to be prepared, this has always been a peaceful park, Nancy. 😃
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Another beautiful weather day at a beautiful place. You seem to have the best luck with weather and vacations.
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I really do, Donna! Most of my vacations have been in Sept/Oct, and still the weather has been great! I don’t mind a little rain, but I have been fortunate on vacations, for sure! ☺️
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Laura and Joe,
A note of Info: They picked my father’s memory about the guns, ammo and operations after the park was established. He had been a supply sergeant for the big guns on Dec 7, 1941, and stayed at Fort Casey until the big guns were cut up and removed in the spring of 1943 when he was reassigned to Europe.
John Neff
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Thank you, John, for sharing that bit of information! I think that is so cool that he helped to establish the history for future visitors like myself! 😃
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