End of Summer Season at Fort Pulaski

Date: August 1, 2012
Contact: Gloria Lee, [phone]

End of Summer Season at Fort Pulaski

The summer season at Fort Pulaski National Monument ends on Labor Day. Throughout Labor Day weekend, the park will offer a series of special activities and programs related to daily tasks that were performed by soldiers in the Civil War era fort.

The Labor Day weekend schedule will be:

Saturday, September 1
10:00 AM  Guided Fort Tour
11:00   Cannon Firing
12:00 PM  Musket Firing
1:00    Cannon Firing
1:30   Guided Fort Tour
2:30   Musket Firing
3:00   Cannon Firing
4:00   Guided Fort Tour
5:00   Musket Firing

Sunday, September 2
10:00 AM  Guided Fort Tour
11:00   Cannon Firing
12:00 PM  The Mason
A hands-on demonstration of mixing lime mortar and brick repointing.
1:00    Cannon Firing
1:30   Musket Firing
2:30   The Mason
3:00   Cannon Firing
4:00   Guided Fort Tour
5:00   Musket Firing

Labor Day - Monday, September 3
10:00 AM  Guided Fort Tour
11:30   Musket Firing
12:00 PM  Guided Fort Tour
1:00    Musket Firing
1:30 - 3:00 PM Armorer demonstration & Cartridge Rolling activity
A Civil War soldier repairs and cleans muskets and shows visitors how to make their own musket cartridges.
3:00   Musket Firing
4:00   Guided Fort Tour
5:00   Musket Firing

Fort Pulaski National Monument has one of the most active historic weapons programs in the United States. The park also features the nation's largest fully functional reproduction cannon. Demonstrations of musket and cannon firings will follow historic guidelines and portray uniforms and equipment of the Civil War.

Throughout the summer, Fort Pulaski National Monument has offered cannon firings on both Saturdays and Sundays. For Labor Day weekend, the fort's cannon crew will again perform cannon firings, while dressed as Civil War soldiers. These demonstrations include a historically correct firing drill that is virtually copied from the Civil War artillery manuals. Sunday, September 2 will be the last Sunday featuring cannon firing for the summer of 2012.

Labor Day weekend marks the end of Fort Pulaski's extension of hours for the summer season. Since Memorial Day weekend, the fort and visitor center have been open until 6:30 PM, with the gates closing at 6:45 PM. Monday, September 3 will be the last day of extended hours. Starting, Tuesday, September 4, park hours will be 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. The park gates will close at 5:15 PM.

Fort Pulaski National Monument is on U.S. Hwy 80, 15 miles east of Savannah. An entrance fee of $5 per person is charged; ages 15 and under are free. Call the park at [phone] for details, or visit the park's official website.

-NPS-