Fort Facts

The original fortification on Mobile Point, a fan-shaped 8 gun battery, was built in 1780 by Spanish forces.  In 1813 the U.S. Army built a small earth and log fortification--Fort Bowyer.

In 1819 Construction began on a new pentagonal fort to replace Fort Bowyer.  Because of its isolation on Mobile Point, it took 15 years to complete.  The U.S. Government leased slaves from the slave owners in the region.  Over 200 slaves labored to manufacture over mortar and 30,000,000 bricks.  Soon after Fort Morgan was finished and occupied, the government found  structural problems and much needed modifications.  After another year the fort was completed at a cost of $1,026,777.41, making it the third most expensive fort in the Third System Fortifications.

In 1837, 3500 Muscogee natives were housed in the fort after their forced removal from their ancestral Alabama lands and while they awaited their transport to Arkansas.

The fort was seized by the the CSA  during the Civil War.  After the war the fort was vacated and placed in caretaker status. 

 After 30 years, in 1898, the six modern concrete batteries were placed into service just before the Spanish American War.  This began the fort's longest continuous period of military occupation, the Coast Artillery era, which lasted until the post's initial closing in 1923.  

Fort Morgan next served as an artillery training base for WWI with 2000 troops on post, before it was once again deactivated.  It remained in caretaker status for 3 years before it was finally abandoned for 10 years.

From 1934-1937 the fort had again gained attention.  This time 500 men were put to work by the Works Projects Administration  during the Great Depression.  The men restored the brick and grounds surrounding the area.

The last time the fort was used for military operations was from 1941-1944.  The U.S. Army, Navy, and Coast Guard operated the post as an ordnance depot and guarded against German U-boats in the Gulf.  In 1946 Fort Morgan was turned over to the State of Alabama as an historic site.

That's it for the history lesson.

Louise and Duane