Gulf Islands NS
After the Storms
Gulf Islands National Seashore The Seashore stretches 160 miles from Cat Island in Mississippi to the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island in Florida.
Gulf Islands National Seashore The Seashore stretches 160 miles from Cat Island in Mississippi to the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island in Florida. The Mississippi District includes Fort Massachusetts on west Ship Island
Fort Massachusetts (Fort on Ship Island)
Gulf Islands National Seashore The Seashore stretches 160 miles from Cat Island in Mississippi to the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island in Florida. Fort Pickens The Florida District includes three Third System forts,13 concrete batteries, and several other historic structures
Insert FL Dist map Florida District, Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)
Fort Barrancas
Insert FL Dist map Florida District, Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)
Advanced Redoubt
Insert FL Dist map Florida District, Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)
Fort Pickens
Gulf Islands
My Office Jeff’s Office
Battery Cooper
Battery Loomis Langdon
Island cut, 2 mi. west of park entrance, 5 mi. east of Fort Pickens
Insert Katrina satellite image Hurricane Katrina
Katrina Hits Gulf Islands, Mississippi
Lessons Learned Historical documents are key tools: Engineers’ drawings & reports Historic photos (300dpi) Restoration drawings & photos Don’t believe everything you read…
Lessons Learned Knowledge of the literature can be helpful (historic & current) Common terminology is good (i.e., use what the engineers used) Communication between historians, engineers, architects, and technicians is critical
Lessons Learned Lime putty mortar has not performed well for us It has hardened in storage It has not lasted in application
Lessons Learned Barrier islands are no place to be in a hurricane…. It is good to have friends. Be careful not to toss too much in the cleanup process
Recommended Reading Seacoast Fortifications by Emanuel Raymond Lewis (1970) Ramparts by Marguerita Z. Herman (1992) A Legacy in Brick and Stone by John R. Weaver (2001) American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide by Mark A. Berhow (2004)
This sign was found on Cat Island, 130 miles west of its original location, two years after it was lost in Hurricane Ivan