Your Dollars At Work

FOPU

Since 1986, a congressional act has authorized the collection of fees at National Park Service areas. Parks are allowed to keep up to 80% of admission fees collected at the park.

So where does all the money from entrance fees go? At Fort Pulaski, fee money goes toward park preservation, interpretive programs, maintenance, and numerous conservation projects.

Thanks to visitors like you, Fort Pulaski can continue better address our long term preservation needs, as well as continuing to improve the visitor understanding and appreciation of Fort Pulaski.

 

Fort Pulaski's 2024 Centennial Celebration included special Park Ranger programs led by park staff.

NPS/J. Irving

Programs

Visitor fees provided support for the 160th battle anniversary in 2022. Staff were able to fire the cannon (largest cannon fired in the National Park Service) for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The park also replaced living history supplies that were damaged by hurricanes.

Park fees supported Fort Pulaski National Monument’s 2024 Centennial celebration, “One Hundred Years of Fortitude,” including interpretive programs, special event support, and the acquisition of interpretive tools and props.

And every day, fees help provide daily tours, talks, interpretive media, and allow the continuation of historic weapon demonstrations.

 

Park Rangers confiscate an illegal crab trap in Oyster Creek.

NPS Photo

Boats

Multiple creeks run throughout the park in addition to the Savannah River and Bull River. The park has more than 30 miles of shoreline, and approximately 4,500 park acres are proposed wilderness and a designated Marine Protected area. Two new boats were purchased, allowing law enforcement rangers to conduct backcountry river patrols in alignment with Category D of the FLREA Spending Policy and Project Guide. Oyster Creek and other areas are subject to illegal fishing practices, including illegal crab traps that ensnare and kill turtles. The boats support the park’s natural resources division by allowing them to access areas of the park previously unreachable to conduct maritime habitat studies and support other researchers whose studies benefit the park. Boats are necessary to reach the Cockspur Island Lighthouse and transport staff and supplies for preservation repairs.

 

Preservation & Resources

Maintaining Fort Pulaski is a never-ending project! Several recent projects were supported by visitor fees, including repairs to the fort’s masonry. Preservation staff repointed failing mortar joints, did minor masonry repair, and lime-washed the casemates. Staff also inspected and repaired the subterranean masonry floor supports of the fort and inspected the cisterns. All materials used were historically appropriate, such as lime and natural cement mortars, and all replacement bricks matched the existing bricks as closely as possible. Techniques and methods followed Secretary of Interior Standards.

Throughout the fort:

• Display booths were removed, increasing visitor access and increasing air flow, which reduced damaging humidity.
• Repairs were made to damaged doors and door hardware along the gorge wall (western wall).
• New transom window hardware was installed in the Officer's Quarters (Casemate 56) closet.
• Damaged plaster from the gorge wall’s north rooms was removed and repaired.
• The Guard Room fireplace interiors were repaired; however, asbestos was found behind the marble mantles in Olmstead’s Quarters (Casemate 66), which will require remediation before repair.
• Casemate 47, which houses the last two known Civil War-era sling carts, was cleaned several times.
• Chimney screens were fabricated and installed on the vents atop the terreplein, preventing wildlife from entering the chimneys.
• By controlling the moat’s water height, algae levels were kept to a minimum.
• Historic Bronze plaques in Fort Pulaski were cleaned and waxed.
• Gravestones and monuments in the cemetery were cleaned.

 

Other projects included cleaning Battery Hambright and maintaining the natural resources and cultural landscape. Selective trees species are pruned on a regular basis to reduce hazardous limbs. Regular pruning also reduces the hours spent cleaning up debris after major wind events. Dead trees were also removed from the Entrance Road. Weed matting was installed under the cistern shell perimeter. Drainage ditch maintenance included removing woody vegetation along the edges of the ditches.

Along the trails:

• debris and dead trees were removed
• woodchips and dirt added to grade the trail surfaces and fill ruts
• ground material was smoothed out to eliminate tripping hazards
• social trails in wetlands were removed, and the areas restored.

Sidewalks were repaired around the Visitor Center and near the first drawbridge. The sidewalk was reinforced to prevent damage from heavy equipment being driven over it. The Entrance Station was repaired: siding was redone, windows caulked, exterior and interior painted, and a new HVAC system installed. All leaks were mitigated, and electric outlets were moved to prevent water infiltration.

 

Staff

Finally, your fees support the staff needed to get everything done! Law enforcement seasonal employees, interpretative staff, and preservation staff salaries are all supported by fees. These staff keep visitors safe, provide programs and educational opportunities such as student field trips, and do the preservation work to keep Fort Pulaski and other historic resources unimpaired for future visitors.