Fort Jefferson is located on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas, about 68 miles
from Key West. The Dry Tortugas are part of the National Park system and can only be
accessed by boat or sea plane. Construction of the fort began in 1846, and it was almost
complete at the time the Civil War started. It was originally erected to be the largest
fort in the coastal defense system with some 450 guns and 1500 men, however, the fort was
never attacked and its value to coastal defense was rendered almost useless by the
invention of the rifled cannon. After the Civil War, the fort served as a prison with its
most famous prisoner being Dr.Samuel A. Mudd. Dr. Mudd was the physician that set the
broken leg of James Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln. It was
abandoned for a period beginning in 1874, but subsequently served as a navy base
(Spanish-American War), a seaplane port (WW I) and observation post (W.W.II).
Telephone number: 1-305 242-7700
Camping: yes, $3.00 per person per night. Sites are located just outside of the fort.
Concessions: no
Pets: not allowed
Comments: a multitude of packages to this area are available from Key West that include
camping and snorkel packages.
Fort Jefferson is located on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas, about 68 miles
from Key West. The Dry Tortugas are part of the National Park system and can only be
accessed by boat or sea plane. Construction of the fort began in 1846, and it was almost
complete at the time the Civil War started. It was originally erected to be the largest
fort in the coastal defense system with some 450 guns and 1500 men, however, the fort was
never attacked and its value to coastal defense was rendered almost useless by the
invention of the rifled cannon. After the Civil War, the fort served as a prison with its
most famous prisoner being Dr.Samuel A. Mudd. Dr. Mudd was the physician that set the
broken leg of James Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln. It was
abandoned for a period beginning in 1874, but subsequently served as a navy base
(Spanish-American War), a seaplane port (WW I) and observation post (W.W.II).