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NatureNational & State Parks

The Remnants Of This Abandoned Fortress In Florida Are Haunting Yet Beautiful

Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park is a massive, unfinished 19th-century fort known for its impressive masonry and tropical surroundings.

Published Feb 26, 2016

Written by 

Victoria Winkler

Located about 70 miles west of Key West in Dry Tortugas National Park sits the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere, an abandoned 19th-century fort that was never completed. Fort Jefferson is huge and desolate, but its impressive masonry and tropical surroundings make it so much more than an abandoned  More than 60,000 people visit the park every year and enjoy activities such as snorkeling, bird watching, kayaking, saltwater fishing and even camping.

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Jesse Swanson via Flickr/VISIT FLORIDA Editor
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Flickr/Jenni Konrad
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Flickr/Dry Tortugas NPS
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Jesse Swanson via Flickr/VISIT FLORIDA Editor
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Brett Seymour via Flickr/Dry Tortugas NPS
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Flickr/Matthew Paulson
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Flickr/Jenni Konrad
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Jesse Swanson via Flickr/VISIT FLORIDA Editor
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Flickr/Dry Tortugas NPS
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Flickr/Scott
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Flickr/Jennifer Macaulay
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Jesse Swanson via Flickr/VISIT FLORIDA Editor
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Jesse Swanson via Flickr/VISIT FLORIDA Editor

Have you visited Fort Jefferson? What were your impressions of this historic place? Please share your comments with us below.

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