Sunday, August 14, 2011

Fort Wayne - Detroit

So my dad and I went down to Fort Wayne in Detroit today. This is not to be confused by the city with the same name in some state that doesn't really exist. Fort Wayne used to be an actual fort at one time. It was also a place where many recruits in Michigan went for their induction physicals.
The unfortunate part about the Fort is that there are many buildings in a state of disrepair. As this one is. This one used to be the enlisted mans barracks at one point.
I'm not sure what this building used to be.
This is the outer wall of the Fort itself. This part was added in 1863, when the fort was renovated for the Civil War. The original star shaped fort sits on the inside of this and was constructed in 1845. This was actually the third fort in Detroit as Detroit has been a fairly strategic point on the Great Lakes.
The first fort was named Fort Detroit and was built in 1701 by the French. They maintained control of it until it was surrendered to the British in 1760. The second Fort was named Fort Lernoult and was built by the British. In 1796, the United States took it over and renamed it Fort Shelby. During the War of 1812, this fort was surrendered to the British. It was later reoccupied and sold to the city in 1826.
In this picture you can see the outside of the cannon ports.
This is a section of the wall where you can see rifle ports.
This is a man door to the side of the main entrance to the fort.
This is the original Enlisted Man's Barracks that was constructed shortly after the fort was built. Brick work was added during the Civil War.
These are cannon emplacements that could have handled 10 inch cannons, although there weren't any cannons mounted here.
This is one of the cannon emplacements from the inside. I apologize for the blurriness as it was dark inside.
After the Civil War, the Fort served as a garrison post for troops rotating from the West.
This is another shot of the cannon ports. YOu can see where the cannons would have swiveled.
The powder magazine. This is intact from the original fort.
A shot of the breastworks.
A shot of the main gate. I'd have to say that the fort itself was pretty impressive.
I believe this was Officer's Quarters.
This was the Base Commander's House.
Just a shot looking down the row. The sidewalk was wooden planks for part of this.
During World War II, the Fort served as a supply point. It was used for warehousing and shipping. This is an anti-aircraft vehicle.
A Sherman Tank.
This was the Guard Housing.
A totem pole. There is a Native American Burial Mound on the property of the Fort.
An M-114.
In 1948, it was proposed that the Fort be closed down. In 1949, the Star Fort was turned over to the City but the Fort was used as an anti-aircraft facility. It was also used an induction facility and the rest was turned over to the city in 1976. I'll have to say it was pretty interesting.

4 comments:

Adam from the HFWC Grounds Committee said...

Did one of your group lose a camera? i found it next to the Indian Museum. the guards might still have it if it's yours.

thanks for visiting our Fort.

BlueDragon said...

Sherman Tank = death trap

Mikoyan said...

I would agree with you about the older model Shermans. Once they converted to diesel and added a few other things (fire surpression), it wasn't too bad....

Ben Connor Barrie said...

When the zombie apocalypse begins, I know where I'm heading...