Fort Macon

Fort Macon SP https://www.ncparks.gov/fort-macon-state-park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Macon_State_Park Fort Macon State Park is located on Bogue Banks near Atlantic Beach in Carteret County, North Carolina. Fort Macon was built as part of the Third System of US fortifications, and was preceded by Fort Hampton of the Second System. The Battle of Fort Macon was fought there during March and April 1862. In addition to the fully restored fort, the park offers visitors both soundside and surf fishing, nature trails, ranger guided tours, a protected swim area, a refreshment stand, and a bathhouse. With the exception of the bathhouse, there are no fees to enjoy the park.

2303 East Fort Macon Rd. Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 252-726-3775 fort.macon@ncparks.gov GPS: 34.697952, -76.67834 Education and Events: Regularly scheduled education and interpretive programs are held from April 15 to October 30. Educational materials about Fort Macon State Park have been developed for grades 6-8 and are correlated to North Carolina’s competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts. Exhibits and Fort Tour: The Coastal Education Center has a large exhibit hall featuring numerous exhibits about the natural history of the park, barrier island ecology, coastal North Carolina, and the interaction of natural and cultural history associated with Fort Macon. Explore the history of Fort Macon State Park in the museum room located in the fort casemates. Exhibits and displays acquaint you with the fort’s history, and restored quarters offer a look into the lives of officers and soldiers. Join a guided tour of the fort or conduct your own following the guide available at the bookstore. Fort Macon State Park is located in Carteret County on the eastern end of Bogue Banks. It can be reached by turning South off U.S. 70 in Morehead City, crossing the bridge to Atlantic Beach and turning left on Highway 58 South. Fishing: Fishing may be enjoyed at the park throughout the year. There is a variety of fish inhabiting the surf and inlet waters depending on the season. Coastal Education and Visitor Center................. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Hiking: Fort Macon has over 1.5 miles of ocean beach for hiking. As you walk along the beach you may see one of the 302 different species of birds found in the park or experience the thrill of watching Dolphins playing in the ocean. Picnicking: Picnic facilities in the park include outdoor grills, drinking water, picnic tables, shelters and restrooms. Trash containers are centrally located. The restrooms, located close to the picnic tables, are open year-round, unless in the event of freezing weather. Swimming: Fort Macon’s beach is a popular source of recreation. From June through Labor Day, a seaside bathhouse and refreshment stand are open and lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Because of strong water currents, visitors are encouraged to swim only in the protected area. Surfing is not allowed in the protected swimming area. Wading, swimming and surfing are not allowed on the inlet beaches. Fort: ........................................................................ 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Closed Christmas Day Fort Area: November - February......................... 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. March - May, September - October............... 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. June - August........................................................ 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Bathhouse Area November - February................................... 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. March - May, September - October............... 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. June - August........................................................ 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Lifeguards (Memorial Day–Labor Day)...... 10 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. Just minutes away from Atlantic Beach, Fort Macon offers public access to the surf, sun and sand of the Crystal Coast. But the beach is only the beginning. Located at the eastern end of Bogue Banks, one of a series of barrier islands along the North Carolina coast, the park is surrounded on three sides by water. This area of undisturbed natural beauty is the perfect place to explore the salt marshes and estuaries so vital to the coastal ecosystem. ! Please visit the North Carolina State Parks website or contact the park for the most current information about activities, alerts, camping, fees, hours, programs, reservations, rules, and weather. www.ncparks.gov 

07/18 Yarrow’s Loop Trail COASTAL EDUCATION CENTER ATLANTIC BEACH HWY 58 JETTY U.S. COAST GUARD BASE Atl Connaentic B c to e a r T ch ra il FORT MACON EDUCATIONAL PAVILION Bathhouse Concession Stand Restrooms Museum Point of Interest Elliot C oues Tr Swimming ail No Swimming Parking Park Office an’s erm Fish Path Picnic Area Telephone Trail Boundary *Map not to scale 

The danger of naval attack along the North Carolina coast seems remote now but during the 18th and 19th centuries, the region around Beaufort was extremely vulnerable to attack. Blackbeard and other pirates passed through Beaufort Inlet at will, and successive wars with Spain, France and Great Britain during the Colonial Period provided a constant threat of coastal raids by enemy warships. Indeed, Beaufort was captured and plundered by the Spanish in 1747 and again by the British in 1782. North Carolina leaders recognized the need for coastal defenses to prevent future attacks and began efforts to construct forts. The eastern point of Bogue Banks was determined to be the best location from which a fort might guard the entrance to Beaufort Inlet. In 1756, construction began there on a small fascine fort known as Fort Dobbs. Fort Dobbs was never finished, and the inlet remained undefended during the American Revolution. Early in the 1800s, continued strained relations with Great Britain led the U.S. government to build a national defense chain of coastal forts for protection. As a part of this defense, a small masonry fort named Fort Hampton, after a North Carolina Revolutionary War hero, was built to guard Beaufort Inlet during 1808-09. This fort guarded the inlet during the subsequent War of 1812 but was abandoned shortly after the end of the war. Shore erosion and a hurricane in 1825 were responsible for sweeping Fort Hampton into Beaufort Inlet by 1826. The War of 1812 demonstrated the weaknesses of existing coastal defenses and prompted the U.S. government to begin construction on an improved chain of coastal fortifications for national defense. This ambitious undertaking involved the construction of 38 new, permanent coastal forts known as the Third System. The forts were built between 1817 and 1865. Fort Macon was part of this system. Fort Macon guarded Beaufort Inlet and Beaufort Harbor, North Carolina’s only major deepwater ocean port. Fort Macon State Park 2303 E. Fort Macon Road Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 252-726-3775 fort.macon@ncparks.gov www.ncparks.gov Friends of Fort Macon Website: www.friendsoffortmacon.org Fort Macon was designed by Brig. Gen. Simon Bernard and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was named after North Carolina’s eminent statesman of the period, Nathaniel Macon. Construction began in 1826 and lasted for eight years. The fort was completed in December 1834 and was improved with further modifications during 1841-46. The total cost of the fort was $463,790. As a result of congressional economizing, the fort was actively garrisoned only from 1834-36, 1842-44 and 1848-49. Often, an ordnance sergeant acting as a caretaker was the only person stationed by the Army at the fort. 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. daily Closed Christmas Day. Please visit the North Carolina State Parks website or contact the park office for the most current information about seasonal hours, activities, alerts, camping fees, programs, rules and weather. N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources 1615 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1615 919-707-9300 5,000 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $582.00 or $0.12 each. 05/18 Early in 1862, Union forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside swept through eastern North Carolina and part of Burnside’s command under Brig. Gen. John G. Parke was sent to capture Fort Macon. Parke’s men captured Morehead City and Beaufort without resistance, then landed on Bogue Banks during March and April to operate against Fort Macon. The Union army held Fort Macon for the remainder of the war, while Beaufort Harbor served as an important coaling and repair station for the Union navy. Susi H. Hamilton Secretary When you have finished with this publication, help save our earth by sharing it with a friend, returning it to the park or recycling it. The War Between the States began on April 12, 1861, and only two days elapsed before local North Carolina militia forces from Beaufort arrived to seize the fort for the state of North Carolina and the Confederacy. North Carolina Confederate forces occupied the fort for a year, preparing it for battle and arming it with 54 heavy cannons. Col. Moses J. White and 400 North Carolina Confederates in the fort refused to surrender even though the fort was hopelessly surrounded. On April 25, 1862, Parke’s Union forces bombarded the fort with heavy siege guns for 11 hours, aided by the fire of four Union navy gunboats in the ocean offshore and by floating batteries in the sound to the east. While the fort easily repulsed the Union gunboat attack, the Union land batteries, utilizing new rifled cannons, hit the fort 560 times. There was such extensive damage that White was forced to surrender the following morning, April 26. The fort’s Confederate garrison was then paroled as prisoners of war. This battle was the second time in history that new rifled cannons had been used against

Pettigrew State Park South Mountains State Park – 2018 Park of the Year Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation manages more than 234,000 acres of iconic landscape across our state in our parks, recreation areas and natural areas with a mission dedicated to conservation, recreation and education. The state parks system welcomed more than 19 million visitors in 2017. Discover More with a Ranger Across North Carolina, state park rangers are proud of our parks and eager to welcome you and your family. Come to our parks to marvel at our state’s most beautiful natural resources, enjoy your favorite outdoor activities and learn about the rich science, culture and history that make our parks great. Fun facts about North Carolina State Parks ■■ There are 41 places to visit, including 34 parks, four recreation areas and three staffed state natural areas. ■■ The Division manages four state rivers, seven state lakes and six state trails. ■■ There are about 581 miles of trail to explore in our parks. ■■ The first state park created was Mount Mitchell State Park on March 3, 1915. Fort Macon State Park was the second. ■■ The Division celebrated 100 years of being Naturally Wonderful in 2016. ■■ Parks that welcome over 1 million visitors annually include: Jockey’s Ridge, Fort Macon and William B. Umstead state parks and Falls Lake, Jordan Lake and Kerr Lake state recreation areas. ■■ The Division employs over 1,000 people across the state. ■■ Some www.ncparks.gov M N P Q Roy Cooper Governor unique activities you can do in our parks include: wind surfing and hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, cross country skiing and snow shoeing at Elk Knob State Park, driving on the four-wheel-drive beach at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and rock climbing at Chimney Rock, Crowders Mountain, Hanging Rock, Pilot Mountain and Stone Mountain state parks. Susi H. Hamilton Secretary 75,000 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $10,707.92 or $0.14 each. 03/18 Did you know that many plants atop Mount Mitchell are rare in North Carolina but common in Quebec? That the giant sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge are constantly moving? Do you know how to safely hold a crayfish? From fishing lessons to astronomy programs and tree identification hikes to guided paddles, parks offer programs for all ages. Visit our website for a list of upcoming programs at each park. Junior Rangers The Junior Ranger program offers educational and skill-based activities to encourage children to explore the outdoors. Children can complete activity guides, geared for ages 6-12, and attend ranger programs to earn a junior ranger patch unique to each park. Ask about the program at a park office or download the guide at: www.ncparks.gov/junior-rangers. Environmental Education Learning Experiences Parks have their own curriculum guides that are correlated to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Competency goals in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts are available. Each program includes pre-visit, on-site and post-visit student activities that have measurable objectives, background information, vocabulary, references and step-bystep activity instructions. Passport Program How many state parks can you visit? Use your passport as a guide and collect stamps, earn prizes and make “Naturally Wonderful” memories! Pick up your passport at a state park near you. North Carolina State Parks 100-Mile Challenge Can you hike, bike or paddle 100 miles in a year? Join the N.C. State Parks’ 100-Mile Challenge and log your miles online to earn digital badges and redeem prizes as you reach various milestones! This is a great way to get outside, get moving and keep track of your activity. Visit www.nc100miles.org to sign up. ■■ Several parks have educational trails, called TRACK trails, that include activities for children to complete along the way. William B. Umstead State Park Jockey’s Ridge State Park Friends Of State Parks Join the Friends of State Parks to help support, promote and advocate for the parks system as a whole, or join the friends group of your favorite park. The group helps provide funding for Junior Ranger and Youth in Parks – Environmental Education programs, as well as grants for state parks projects. You can also make a donation to help keep our parks around for future generations. Learn more at www.ncfsp.org or www.ncparks.gov/support-your-parks. Merchandise Want to show your N.C. State Parks pride? Visit the online webstore and purchase products such as coffee mugs, prints, t-shirts, pins, patches and Christmas ornaments. This exclusive merchandise makes a great gift for special state parks fans, including yourself. www.ncparkstore.com N.C. State Parks License Plate Show your support for state parks every time you drive your vehicle! Purchase an N.C. State Parks license plate through the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicl