If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 99

Here are a few other postcards from the series about Fort Casey, near Coupeville, Washington on Whidbey Island.  Admiralty Inlet where Fort Casey is located was considered vital to the strategic defense of Puget Sound during the Spanish American War in the 1890s.   Fort Casey is one of three forts built at that time.  The other two forts are:  Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island and Fort Worden at Port Townsend.  It was thought that three fortresses would thwart invasion by sea.  The huge guns were built at the entrance to each fort creating a “triangle of fire.”   The guns were mounted on disappearing carriages that could be raised and exposed only long enough to fire.  Because of the invention of the airplane the guns became obsolete almost as soon as they were in place and ready.  Two of the 12-inch guns were salvaged in the mid-1960s. 

The photograph on the card above shows the 12-inch gun being fired.  At the upper portion of the picture to the right it is possible to see the shell in the air.  Whether by design or accident this is an amazing thing to see captured on film.   The shells could travel ten miles or more and since the channel is only 5 miles wide the three forts could easily cover the entire area.  The reverse side of the card contains information about the gun.

The cards below show the military encampment as Fort Casey was being established in the 1890s and the original Red Bluff lighthouse. 

 

Red Bluff Lighthouse, ca 1890

The wooden Red Bluff lighthouse was moved a short distance to accommodate the building and manning of the fort.  The newer brick Admiralty Head lighthouse shown below was built in 1903.  The brick lighthouse has a distinctive separate tower. 

For more information about Fort Casey and the lighthouses see:

http://www.lhdigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=1372
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Casey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Coast_Artillery_%28United_States%29

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 98

 Admiralty Head Lighthouse

Reverse, First Day of Issue

We recently visited the Admiralty Head Lighthouse located at Fort Casey State Park near Coupeville, Washington on Whidbey Island.  It was a pleasant surprise to find a small package of reproduced photo postcards in the gift shop that were issued to celebrate the centennial of the lighthouse.  The cards in the packet contained four First Day of Issue cards and stamps from the Pacific Lighthouse collection. 

The postcard has a picture of the second lighthouse built on this spot.  The first one was built just before the Civil War and was one of the earliest lighthouses on the West coast.  The United States government in 1858 bought the land, about 10 acres, for $400.00.  In 1890 that building was demolished to make room for the soldiers at Fort Casey.  The replacement lighthouse shown on the postcard was built in 1903 and decommissioned nineteen years later in 1922. The original Red Bluff lighthouse was constructed out of wood the newer Admiralty Head Lighthouse is made of brick.  At one time it was also used as a training facility for the K-9 dog program. 

The tower is 9 meters or 30 feet tall.   The room at the top that housed the lights is accessible by stairs for the first section and a ladder with a railing for the last several feet up.   Those who are sensitive to heights might do fine on the circular metal steps but balk at the ladder, as I did. 

For additional historical information see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiralty_Head_Light

The lighthouse is open to the public year round, has a small historical museum display area and also a gift shop. 

Exterior of the Admiralty Head Lighthouse as it is today

 

The circular staircase going up to the lighthouse tower

 

The view from the parking area at the Admiralty Head Lighthouse

 

 

Two very tame deer were munching on the grass near the lighthouse.

A rabbit by the side of the road