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Fort Zachary Taylor - Key West Historic Park Fort Zachary Taylor covers a total of 87 acres. This Key West Park is located at the end of Southard Street on Truman Annex in Key West Florida. Construction of the fort began in 1845. In 1850, the fort was named after U.S. President Zachary Taylor.
	When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Capt. John Brannon occupied the fort, placing it in Union hands. Key West was an important outpost for the Union because numerous blockade-running ships were detained at Key West harbor and guarded by Fort Taylor's cannons. The 10-inch Rodman and Columbiad cannons at the fort had a range of three miles. This was an impressive deterrent to the Confederate navy, preventing them from attempting to take the fort or the island of Key West. Proving to be a severe loss for the South, Fort Taylor remained in Union hands throughout the Civil War. The fort was finally finished in 1866 - 21 years after it was begun.
In the years that followed, Fort Taylor was again used during the Spanish-American War. In 1889, in an effort to modernize the fort, the top levels were cut down to install newer weapons. With the coming of the 20th century, more sophisticated weapons and eventually radar and other devices took the place of guns. By 1947, the Army turned Fort Taylor over to the Navy to maintain. Beginning in 1968, through the tireless efforts of volunteers, excavations for old armaments in the gun rooms uncovered a number of guns and ammunition from Civil War times. This represents only a fraction of the buried arsenal, which is the largest collection of Civil War cannons in the U.S. In recognition of this, Fort Taylor was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 1973 the fort was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Key West Historic State Park Truman Annex & Southard Street 305-292-6713	Fort Zachary Taylor includes a beach area that provides park visitors an excellent place for swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, Fishing, and Shaded Picnic areas equipped with tables and grills. Fort Zachary Taylor - The Beach
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