Fort Fremont – Saint Helena Island, South Carolina

This past weekend, my fiance, David, and I spent the weekend in Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, with some friends and took the pups for their first beach trip.  While we were there, we got to check out Fort Fremont. I absolutely love history. And don't get me started on a good ghost story!  I'm going back to Saint Helena Island for a ghost tour.  And to check out the Chapel of Ease too!

Fort Fremont is located on Saint Helena Island by the Port Royal Sound. According to FortFreemont.org, Fort Fremont was one of 6 fortifications built to protect the coast during the Spanish-American War. It was built between 1898 and 1899.  This fort helped defend the coaling station and dry dock at the Port Royal Naval Station on Parris Island.

The fort was set on 170 acres. Altogether, the area consisted of outbuildings, a guard house, barracks, a hospital, a stable, a commissary, a water tower, and more.

The fort was manned by up to 110 personnel.  And the main weapon system included Battery Jesup, which had three 10-inch disappearing cannons.  Also, there was Battery Fornance which had two 4.7-inch rapid-fire guns. According to the website, the five guns, which were built behind mounds of earth with logs and concrete, "became some of the highest ground on the coastal islands."

By 1906, the War Department considered closing Fort Fremont due to budget constraints.  In 1908, the general public was able to tour the fort.  By 1912, the fort was officially deactivated. The batteries and the hospital building were both listed in the National Register of Historic Places in May 1989.