Fort Pickens Tour: Stop 5

Fort Pickens Mine Chambers

Quick Facts

Location:

Fort Pickens, Florida

Amenities

1 listed

Trailhead

Countermine

Soldiers had many options to defend Fort Pickens. You are outside one of those options called a countermine. Fort Pickens has two countermines. The countermines are on the fort’s landward side and next to powder magazines. Both have three narrow chambers that extend into the wall.

During a battle, soldiers in the fort could move kegs of gun powder from a powder magazine to a chamber. Each chamber could hold 1,027 pounds of gun powder.

When an attacker charged the fort, the defenders would ignite the gun powder and explode a chamber. The explosion would wreck the fort but stop an attack.