The elevators at Fort Sumter are out of service until further notice. Disabled visitors departing from Liberty Square will have access to restrooms on board the ferry boat while at Fort Sumter. For more information, please call (843) 883-3123.
Fort Sumter National Monument / Charles Pinckney National Historic Site It's National Park Week. Where can you picture yourself? How about one of the most popular cities in America? Or at the beach? How about one of the most historic forts in America? Or at the home of a principal signer of the U.S. Constitution? How about all of the above? Picture yourself at Fort Sumter National Monument, or at Fort Moultrie, or at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. Picture yourself at the national parks in Charleston, South Carolina.
Fort Sumter Video Transcript Garrett Johnston Productions
Donel Singleton: It's been 150 years since the first shots of the Civil War were fired on the ground that we're actually standing on today. So it brings me great joy when I see children who are interested in a such a vital part point in American history. So it's a pleasure to get down with them one on one and talk about it. See what they already know, teach them a few things they may not have known.
Rick Hatcher: If you're interested in American History this should be on your bucket list! This is one of the places that Americans need to come to get a feel and an appreciation for our nation's history. From what happened here at Fort Sumter and what it means in the history of the nation.
Carlin Timmons: I'd really like to encourage visitors to Charleston to visit Fort Sumter because it embodies this water-shed moment in our country's history when you look at the Civil War. And how it changed the type of nation that the United States was. The descendant of an enslaved African is going to look at that Civil War a lot differently than the descendant of a Confederate general, and that's our challenge out there is to present history as openly and truthfully as we can because it can be very sensitive and has a lot to do with identity. And that's why people value places like Fort Sumter.
Donel Singleton: A lot of visitors that come out to this site, they're familiar with the movie “Glory” and the 54th, but they are unaware that the actual battle took place just a mile or so from Fort Sumter. So I make it a point to tell them the story of the 54th because it was important, very important, in the Civil War and in the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments being passed following the war. I myself dress up as a 54th soldier. So I'm out here in a wool uniform, middle of July, because of my passion for it. It's a very important story.
Rick Hatcher: During the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie played a critical role in that action on April 12th and 13th, 1861. Fort Moultrie is also administered as part of Fort Sumter National Monument so you can visit it as well when you're on your Fort Sumter trip.
Russell Horres: If you've had a chance to check a map you'll note that Fort Sumter is on an island at the mouth of Charleston Harbor. Your journey out to Fort Sumter will be the highlight of your visit here to Charleston. You'll have a chance to take a relaxing 20 minute cruise on one of the spirit-line ships and give you a chance to enjoy an excursion on historic Charleston harbor. Don't be put off by the cost of the excursion over here, this is a tremendous value. You'll get to not only get to experience the historic harbor but you'll also get to visit the site where the Civil War began. And there's no more important event in American History than the Civil War and the changes it made to the rights and liberties that we enjoy today.
Rick Hatcher: Please come and “Experience your America” at Fort Sumter National Monument.
Donel Singleton: Come out and support the National Park Service here in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina at Fort Sumter National Monument.
Russell Horres: Plan a visit to Fort Sumter very soon and come “Experience you America” at Fort Sumter National Monument.
Carlin Timmons: Let me encourage you to “Experience your America” at Fort Sumter and at other National Parks around the country.
For nine days in April 2011, the National Park Service along with its partners and the public commemorated the first shots of the American Civil War. This 21 minute video allows viewers to get a brief look at what those nine days entailed and the importance of commemorating events such as these. Although the commemoration is over, the National Park Service at Fort Sumter continues to help visitors interpret and understand the events of that day and what those events mean to us 150 years later. As National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said in July 2011, "I can promise you that we will be here everyday of every year watching over this place, to keep it and protect it; to pass it's story on to future generations of Americans."
Fort Moultrie is the only unit of the National Park System where the entire 171-year history of American seacoast defense (1776-1947) can be traced. Fort Sumter National Monument, SC
