Military Sites

Military sites are at the farthest reaches of our country, from American Memorial Park in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. They tell the story of the attacks that brought us into World War II. Forts such as those in Golden Gate and Gateway National Recreation Areas that are re-fitted with anti-aircraft missiles tell of readiness during the Cold War. The National Park System contains some military facilities that are still active, like San Nicolas Island in Channel Islands National Park. Others that are no longer needed by the military have been converted for educational uses, such as Acadia’s Schoodic Education and Research Center, housed in a former naval base. These places connect us to our history by allowing us to stand in the places where military events occurred, learn about what led up to them, how they unfolded, and how they affect our world today. To connect with coastal military sites in the NPS, learn more about two types of these revered sites: memorials and forts.

Fort Matanzas National Monument

NPS / Victoria Stauffenberg

Forts

Military forts along our coastlines stand as sentinels over the security of our shores. They also provide a place to envision the unfolding of our history and the development of our national identity. From the first western settlers seeking safety in an unfamiliar land, to the revolutionary war that established a new democracy, to civil war that pitted brother against brother… through World Wars, a Cold War and beyond, national parks along our coasts and Great Lakes preserve places that both witnessed and influenced key military events that shaped our nation.

One of the first things early settlers did when they reached these shores was to build forts – both to establish ownership by their sponsoring nation and to provide security. National Park sites along the eastern seaboard include many forts that chronicle clashes between the French, British, and Spanish in an attempt to claim this land. Some, such as Florida’s Castillo de San Marcos, built by the Spanish in 1672, still stand. Others, such as Jamestown, the first English settlement in America, are remnants, but archeological studies of the earthworks and artifacts provide invaluable insight into the establishment of the American colonies.

Coastal forts in our National Park System detail our fight for independence as well as our early struggles as a nation. Both the first and last battles of the revolutionary war are preserved in coastal parks – Bunker Hill in Boston National Historical Park and Yorktown in Colonial National Historical Park respectively. Fort McHenry memorializes the War of 1812 and the battle that inspired our National Anthem. Fort Sumter saw the first shots of the Civil War while far to the west Fort Point was built to defend San Francisco against the possibility of Confederate and foreign attack during the Civil War.

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument

NPS

Memorials

The National Park System stand as somber reminders of some of the most pivotal moments in our country's history. They commemorate and honor the many brave sacrifices made by men and women to ensure the freedom of the United States. They preserve the stories of battles fought, won, and lost, and serve as beacons of hope as we look towards the future.