Fort Pickens is the name of a historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and remained in use until 1947. Fort Pickens is currently part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore , and as such, is administered by the United States Park Service.
After the War of 1812, the United States decided to fortify all of its major ports, and as a result, French engineer Simon Bernard was appointed to design Fort Pickens. Construction on Fort Pickens lasted from 1829 to 1834, with 21.5 million bricks being used to build the fort. Much of the construction was done by slave labour.
During the American Civil War, Fort Pickens held the distinction of being the only Southern fort not to be captured by the Confederacy.
From 1885 to 1887, the famous Apache Indian chief Geronimo was imprisoned in Fort Pickens, along with several of his warriors and their families. The prisoners were made to perform hard labour, which was a direct violation of several treaties signed by the Apaches with the United States.
Fort Pickens was one of three forts erected by the United States to defend Pensacola Bay. Fort McRee, located across Pensacola Pass from Fort Pickens, was badly damaged by Union bombardment during the American Civil War. Its remains were washed into Pensacola Bay by a hurricane in 1906. Fort Barrancas , located across Pensacola Bay from Fort Pickens, is on the grounds of Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola.
