Fort Jefferson, as seen from the campground on Garden Key, is the hub of Dry Tortugas National Park. Construction began in 1846, with the idea of building a base from which to protect shipping lanes into the Gulf of Mexico. Construction accelerated during the Civil War and the fort was heavily garrisoned to keep it out of Confederate hands. Between workers and soldiers, the island's population swelled to 2,000. Fort Jefferson remained unfinished, however, and the Army abandoned it altogether in 1874. For a time, the Navy used it as a coaling station, and the ill-fated U.S.S. Maine stopped here before sailing to Havana in 1898. It was also used briefly during both world wars. During the Civil War, the fort was first used as a military prison; after the war it housed the notorious Dr. Samuel Mudd and two others convicted of participating in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The main entrance to the fort is that concrete structure (called a sallyport, the only entrance into the fort) about a quarter of the way in from the left. Mudd's cell was on the second tier and above the sallyport. Straight out from the entrance is the dock. Bush Key and Long Key sit beyond the fort to the east, or to the right of the fort in this photo; Loggerhead Key is to the rear. Photo by David Sedore
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