Georgia’s oldest standing brick fortification is an intriguing place. The fort perches right on the banks of the Savannah River—built there so its guns could fire on any vessel coming into Savannah—and chances are good you’ll get an up-close view of an oceangoing ship during your visit.

Walk on the parapet of the fort and then investigate the structure’s many nooks and crannies. Two powder magazines and most of the casemates are open to the public, and they contain displays of weaponry and tools used at the fort and artifacts from the CSS Georgia, a Confederate ironclad whose remains lay on the river bottom a few hundred feet away. The 9-inch Dahlgren cannon is one of the largest functional pieces of pre Civil War–era heavy artillery in the United States. Cannon-firing programs are presented daily at 10:00am and 2:00pm throughout the Spring and Summer; call for more information.

 

Construction of Fort Jackson was begun in 1808 on the site of what had been an earthwork battery during the Revolutionary War. It was manned during the War of 1812 and expanded between 1845 and 1860. Confederate forces used it as headquarters of the Savannah River defenses during most of the Civil War, and it was garrisoned by Union troops after the city’s surrender in December 1864. One of the main times it was fired upon was on October 1, 1862, when two Union steamers shelled it for about an hour during a reconnaissance mission. For a thorough rundown on the history of the fort, watch the 18-minute film that’s shown in one of the powder magazines.

Old Fort Jackson is operated by the Coastal Heritage Society, a non profit organization that preserves two National Historic Landmarks. The mission of the Coastal Heritage Society is to preserve the cultural heritage of coastal Georgia and adjacent regions and to provide relevant educational experiences for the public.