• Tips for Visitors
• History

Though today dwarfed by the Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point's four tiers of cannon were once the most awesome feature at this narrow entrance to San Francisco Bay. This mighty fort kept an armed and unwavering vigil over the golden gateway for almost half a century until its original cannons were removed, but no enemy challenged its might.

Today, Fort Point is a National Historic Site. You can explore its brick casemates, marvel at its grand arches and spiral stairs, participate in one of the cannon drills, or join a tour. Discover the fort by the beauty of candlelight on a ranger-led winter-night tour. Seeing the fort by flickering flame, with bright stars overhead, is a special way to take a trip into the shadows of the fort's past.

In spring, summer, and fall, rangers demonstrate how to catch crabs from the pier; you can also just watch locals haul in sea life, then take home some red, rock, or yellow crabs. Visit the National Park Service's website for times and reservations.

On the ground floor, examine an array of historic cannon, walk into a powder magazine, and browse a number of special exhibits on the fort's colorful history. The second floor includes the officers' quarters, kitchen, and hospital rooms. The third floor houses the soldiers' barracks. Find your way to Fort Point's fourth floor, the barbette tier, and be rewarded with an unparalleled view of the bay's entrance from directly under the Golden Gate Bridge. After exploring the fort, don't miss a chance to load a smoothbore cannon during one of the drills.

For more information about the programs and exhibits available at Fort Point, visit the National Park Service's website.

Fort Point's Active Duty
During the Civil War, 140 soldiers manned Fort Point, which was armed with sixty-five heavy artillery cannon, four flank howitzers, and five coehorn and six siege mortars. No shots were ever fired, as the Confederates never dared to attack. If they had, the fort's walls theoretically could have withstood the impact of 10,000 cannonballs before giving way. However, it wasn't long before the invention of rifled cannons, capable of breaching brick walls, made the structure vulnerable. After the Civil War, Fort Point was intermittently garrisoned, and saw its last active duty in World War II.

Fort Point's Origins
During the War of 1812, the British landed in Chesapeake Bay and marched straight into the nation's capital. Embarrassed by this demonstration of America's then-weak coastal defenses, President Madison ordered a new system of permanent forts (known as the Third System) to guard the nation's seaport cities. Completed in 1861 at a cost of $2.8 million, Fort Point was the only one of these "Third System" forts built on the Pacific Coast.