by Alex Gugel , all rights reserved
![]() | Golden Gate - Fort MasonHistoric Walk |
Brochure for Fort Mason History Walk - a self guided tour - at Fort Mason at Golden Gate National Recreation Area (NRA) in California. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
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covered parks
SAN FRANCISCO BAY
Fort Mason History Walk
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
GOLDEN GATE
NATIONAL
RECREATION AREA
Fort Mason
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
PIER 3 -
Bay Trail
Firehouse
N
LION
PAVILLIO
L PAVIL
HERBST
FESTIVA
PIER 2 -
PIER 1
Gas
House
Cove
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Cowell
Theater
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241
Hostel 240
TON
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F
239
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San Francisco
Maritime NHP
Headquarters
& Library
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FO
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stairs
ON
Community
Gardens
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MA
Gatehouse
ST
BEACH
General’s
Residence
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(William J. Whalen
Bldg 201)
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2
RTHU
MACA
Rep. Phillip
Burton Statue
R
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9
A ST
LAGUN
NORTH
231
GGNRA &
GGNPC HQ
Great Meadow
MARIN
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POINT
POINT
SS AVE
VAN NE
NORTH
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IN ST
FRANKL
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GOUGH
OCTAV
NAN ST
BUCHA
UPPER
FORT MASON
MAIN ENTRANCE
BA Y S
NORTH
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ARTH
MAC
A BLVD
rail
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Bay
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KLIN
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Marina
Safeway
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UP
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To Gold e
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Gate Bri
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Fort Mason
Center Office
Sea Scout
Base
stairs
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235
LO
FORT MASON
CENTER
ENTRANCE
stairs
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Fort Mason
Center
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DO
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LR
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D
A Reflection of San Francisco
Through Time
Municipal Pier
Black Point
IA ST
THE ROUTE
Length: Approximately 0.5-mile
Number of Stops: 9
Time required: Approximately 45 minutes
Access: The route is paved, but watch for
steps and cracked pavement.
Accessible restrooms are located at the
southwest corner of the Great Meadow
(see map).
For more information, visit the Pacific
West Information Center located at:
the Argonaut Hotel
495 Jefferson Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 561-4700
www.nps.gov/goga
A 19th Century Army Post on a San Francisco bluff
Welcome to Fort Mason. Step back in time to visit Civil War-era
buildings and streetscapes. This self-guided walking tour of Fort
Mason suggests a specific walking order. However, there are also
interpretative waysides that provide you with additional information,
so feel free to wander and explore what interests you.
Please be advised that most of the Fort Mason buildings and residences are currently occupied; visits to their interiors are not allowed.
Please keep in mind that Golden Gate National Recreation Area is an
urban park and exercise common sense while using its trails, especially after dark.
Start the tour in front of the William J. Whalen building.
1 Defending the Bay
The San Francisco Bay Area, long recognized as a land rich with
economic opportunity, has historically attracted the attention of
expanding nations, including Spain, Mexico, Great Britain, Russia,
and the United States. In 1776, the Spanish settlers arrived to this
area and established Spain’s northernmost outpost, a presidio and
a Catholic mission. The Spanish recognized that this hilltop promontory was an obvious choice for the defensive fortifications and built
the Batteria San Jose here in 1797.
When the United States took control of California in 1846, one of
the military’s first priorities was to protect the rich bay from both the
British and Russians who maintained extensive fur trapping interests
up and down the Pacific coast. Recognizing the geographic and economic importance of the San Francisco Bay and the need to transport gold cargo safely, the army identified locations that were well
suited to national defense. In 1850, President Millard Fillmore established this land as a military reservation, designating it Point San
Jose.
Point San Jose with Civil War-era army buildings. Notice that the adjacent
neighborhood is mostly sand dunes and industrial buildings.
(image circa 1865)
From the headquarters building, turn left on MacArthur Street;
continue up the street and stop at the corner of Pope and
MacArthur. Look south past Fort Mason, toward the city, and try to
imagine this area without the trees, buildings and skyscrapers.
On the cover: Fort Mason, aerial view, circa 1920s.
All images from Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Park Archives and Record Center, unless otherwise noted.
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Fort Mason History Walk: An Army Post at the Edge of San Francisco
National Park Service
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2 Gold Rush Transforms San Francisco
When California became a state in 1846, the first government seat
was 150 miles away in Monterey and San Francisco was a sleepy port
town. There were less than one thousand inhabitants in the city; sailors, fishermen, whalers, and fur trappers lived in temporary woodframe shacks around the waterfront. Except for the presidio and
Mission Delores, young San Francisco had few permanent buildings.
In January 1848, gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada foothills
and San Francisco was changed forever. People flocked to California
From all over the world to seek their fortune. Almost overnight, the
gold rush transformed San Francisco into a booming city filled with
makeshift tent-houses, hotels, stores, saloons, gambling halls, and
shanties. By 1849, as the gold rush fever swept through the country,
the city’s population exploded to a staggering 25,000. Because of
the rapid population rate, city managers could not build shelter fast
enough to accommodate everyone.
Turn left and walk up on the right-hand of Franklin Street. Stop
at the first driveway on your right. (across from the Fort Mason
Chapel) In the 1850s, private citizens constructed homes on the
east side of the street, facing the water; after 1865, the army
constructed the west side buildings.
3 “Black Point”: A Civilian Neighborhood on Military Land
Although the military reserved Point San Jose for its purposes, the
army had not assigned any soldiers or constructed any buildings. This
scenic and underutilized piece of property, known to locals as “Black
Point” because of the bluff’s dark laurel trees, offered refuge from
the rapidly growing city. Black Point was exceptionally desirable to
opportunistic real estate developers and because the U.S. government had trouble enforcing its property claims, a few entrepreneurial civilians moved in and claimed the land for their own.
Proceed up the street to the third driveway. On your right is
Quarters 2 and on your left is Quarters 3. Please do not proceed
past the top of the driveway entrance as people are living in these
homes.
During the Gold Rush, the San Francisco waterfront was a congested mess of
wharves, storefronts and boarding houses. Sailors with gold-rush fever
literally abandoned their ships in the harbor. (photo courtesy of John
A. Martini; photo circa 1853)
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National Park Service
Fort Mason History Walk: An Army Post at the Edge of San Francisco
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By 1855, San Francisco real estate developers had constructed five
large, private residences at Black Point. Some of San Francisco’s most
influential citizens moved into these elegant homes and over the
next nine years, Black Point became a prestigious community of
well-educated bankers, merchants, and literary figures. Fortunately,
three of these civilian, pre-Civil War homes still stand: Quarters 2
(Brooks House), Quarters 3 (Haskell House), and Quarters 4 (Palmer
House, located a little further up north) are the oldest Fort Mason
buildings and reflect the popular mid-19th century Italianate Style.
Please remain where you are, with a view of the Haskell House
(Building 3) to your left. The Leonard Haskell residence was the
place of U.S. Senator Broderick’s untimely death.
4 The Anti-Slavery Movement at Black Point
The Gold Rush attracted Southerners who supported slavery,
Northerners who were against slavery, free African-American settlers,
seeking their fortunes, as well as enslaved African-Americans, who
were forced to dig for their owners’ benefit. As new states were
added to the union, Congress tried to achieve
a balance by carefully admitting an equal
number of slave states and free states.
After much bitter national debate,
California entered as a free-state,
part of the so-called Compromise
of 1850. However, its vague antislavery constitution was open for
extensive interpretation.
The Palmer House, built by a private citizen, was a two-and-a-half wood
frame Italianate structure with hipped roof and bay windows. Note Alcatraz’s
Civil War citadel in the background. (Photo courtesy of the San Francisco
Public Library; photo circa 1885)
The Broderick-Terry Duel, an
important chapter of the antislavery movement, is associated
with the Black Point community.
During the 1850s, the people living here were openly hostile to
secession and slavery. They politically supported David Broderick, a
self-made man opposed to slavery, in his
effort to become California’s U.S. Senator.
In 1859, after Broderick responded to verbal
abuse from his political opponent, California
State Supreme Court Justice David S. Terry,
Terry challenged him to a duel. On September
13, 1859, the Broderick - Terry duel commenced at Lake Merced, south of the city.
After Broderick’s gun misfired, Terry shot
Broderick and wounded him severely. After
his friends rushed him to Haskell’s Black Point
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National Park Service
Fort Mason History Walk: A 19th Century Army Post on a San Francisco Bluff
California U.S. Senator
David Broderick
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home (Quarters 3, on your left), Broderick died three days later, after
reportedly saying “They killed me because I am opposed to the
extension of slavery and a corrupt administration.”
From this driveway, continue up Franklin and stop near the upper
end of the tree-filled circle. Look in the direction of the path leading
north. Imagine a modest Victorian cottage perched at the edge of
the bluff, surrounded by rose bushes and garden paths.
5 Jessie Benton Fremont
Jessie Benton Fremont, wife of explorer John Fremont and daughter
of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, lived here at the end of
this street. Mrs. Fremont carved out her own special recognition as
a bright, courageous, and ambitious woman at a time when these
attributes were discouraged in women. Throughout her life, Jessie
Fremont was politically active; both she and her husband were freesoilers and lobbied hard to eliminate slavery. The Fremonts moved
to Black Point in 1860 and situated their house and grounds on the
bluff. Their home, nicknamed Porter’s Lodge, became the center
of San Francisco’s intellectual life, where Mrs. Benton invited likeminded writers, spiritual leaders, and artists to engage in lively conversation. When the Civil War broke out, the Union Army summoned
John Fremont for active military service and the family moved to the
east coast.
From Franklin, turn left (west) onto Funston Street. Walk down
Funston and notice the 19th-century army buildings on both sides
of the street. Stop at the corner of Funston and Pope, near the Fort
Mason Youth Hostel. This area was originally the center of the Civil
War-era army post; the western half of the post is gone, but the
eastern side remains intact.
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Fort Mason History Walk: A 19th Century Army Post on a San Francisco Bluff
Jessie Benton Fremont on the porch of “Porter’s Lodge”, overlooking
Alcatraz and Angel Island. (photo circa 1860s)
6 Military Life at Point San Jose
Once the Civil War started, the army reclaimed Point San Jose. The
post’s prominent bluff, in tandem with the forts at Alcatraz and
Fort Point, served as an ideal location to protect the city from
Confederate attacks. The army evicted the civilian residents and tore
down the Fremont’s home to make way for new gun batteries.
National Park Service
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Like all Army posts that sprang up throughout the west, the military
designed Point San Jose to function as a small, self-sufficient town.
The post included a post headquarters, a hospital, barracks, and
mess halls clustered around the main parade ground. The army usually constructed the more utilitarian and displeasing buildings, like
the latrines and the stables, at the outskirts of the post. The fortunate Point San Jose officers enjoyed living in the elegant bay-front
homes that the army had appropriated. In 1882, the army changed
the post’s name to Fort Mason to honor Colonel Richard Barnes
Mason, the second military governor and commander of California
(1847 to 1849).
Walk down Pope Street, heading south towards the flag pole.
At the flagpole, turn to your right and walk in front of the
headquarters building. Follow the sidewalk to the Great Meadow,
which is the large grassy field to the west side of William J. Whalen
Building.
By the late 19th century, the army’s improvements to Fort Mason made
the post look more formal. This photo shows the elegant streetscape along
Franklin and the well-maintained lawns, hedges and fences.
(photo circa 1893)
The Fort Mason officers were permitted to bring their families to live on post
with them, by the turn of the 19th century. (photo circa 1900)
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National Park Service
Fort Mason History Walk: A 19th Century Army Post on a San Francisco Bluff
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Fort Mason’s sprawling earthquake relief encampment, one of several established throughout the city. Note the Park Headquarters building in the background. (Photo courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library; photo circa
1909)
7 Fort Mason’s Role within the Community
The Zone introduced visitors to the new concepts of national parks, by providing replicas of the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park. (photo
circa 1915)
Earthquake Relief
Early April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake hit San Francisco
and the ensuing destructive fires magnified the earthquake’s damage. Brigadier General Frederick Funston, acting commander of the
U.S. Army Department of the Pacific, immediately established a
command post in the Fort Mason Commanding Officer’s residence
(Quarters 1). Because much of the city’s downtown was on fire, the
city and the army designated the Commanding Officers’ residence
as San Francisco’s temporary City Hall. From Fort Mason, the army
managed an emergency command center, coordinated law efforts to
maintain civilian peace and set up hundreds of essential earthquake
relief camps.
The World’s Fair
In 1915, San Francisco hosted the Panama-Pacific International
Exposition. This World’s Fair celebrated the opening of the Panama
Canal, which dramatically improved travel to and from the East Coast
and worldwide. The city filled in over 600 acres of tidal marsh to
create three miles of exhibition space for different nations and U.S.
states. “The Zone”, the fair’s amusement and concession area, was
constructed on Fort Mason and extended south out to Bay Street.
Locally, San Francisco used the Exposition to prove to the world that
the city had fully recovered from the devastating earthquake and
was once-again open for business.
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National Park Service
Fort Mason History Walk: A 19th Century Army Post on a San Francisco Bluff
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The U.S. Army’s San Francisco Port of Embarkation headquarters,
managing the port’s Bay Area shipping facilities, was located at Fort
Mason. The army constructed an impressive number of barracks,
office buildings, warehouses and machinery shops to support the
port’s logistical work. To provide services for the thousands of military and civilian employees required to run this large organization,
the army also constructed cafeterias, recreation halls, a movie theatre, a post library, a post office, dry cleaners and hospitality centers.
Continue back the way you came, walking towards the
commemorative statue of Congressman Phillip Burton.
9 The Establishment of a People’s Park
Fort Mason at its most developed, with World War II buildings constructed
right up against Civil War-era buildings. Notice the San Francisco Port of
Embarkation, with its piers and storehouses, in the upper right-hand side.
(photo circa 1951)
If you are standing at the top of the Great Meadow, turn right
and walk towards the overlook of large red-roofed buildings near
the water. The Fort Mason Center, while not part of this tour, was
originally the historic San Francisco Port of Embarkation.
Supporting the Pacific
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The Port of San Francisco was already a shipping hub for the West
Coast but by the early 20th century, Fort Mason was transformed
from a coastal artillery post into a logistical and transport hub for
the U.S. Army. The army constructed massive piers and storehouses
at the waterfront to support the needs of new U.S. military outposts
on the Philippines, Hawaii, and various Pacific Islands. From the 1920s
through World War II, the San Francisco Port of Embarkation played
a critical role in the movement of supplies and troops to the Pacific.
By the 1950s, the port’s role had diminished, as troop movement
increasingly relied on air transports instead of ships. Eventually, the
Department of Defense identified Fort Mason as redundant to
military purposes. The future of Fort Mason became the focus of
lively debate at both the local and national level for over a decade.
Congressman Phillip Burton (D-CA) championed the idea, pushed
forward by the local community, of creating a new urban national
park that would provide outdoor recreational opportunities and
preserve historic and natural sites for all. In 1972, Congress created
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park
Service, encompassing much of this historic army land. Over time, the
government removed many of the dilapidated army buildings and
created the Great Meadow as open space for the enjoyment of the
city’s residents and visitors alike.
This marks the end of the walking tour. Feel free to continue to
explore this former army post or walk down to the Fort Mason
Center.
Printed on recycled paper with vegetable based inks with low VOCs.
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Fort Mason History Walk: A 19th Century Army Post on a San Francisco Bluff
National Park Service
(rev. 05/2013)
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