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National Park Service Proposes Preservation Plan For Spanish-American Battery

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By Compiled From N... - November 9th, 2021

The National Park Service has released a draft plan for preserving a Spanish-American War gun battery at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve/NPS file

A concrete gun battery built by the United States government in 1898 during the Spanish-American War should be preserved and open to the public at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Florida, according to the National Park Service.

"The battery, which consists of two concrete gun emplacements and a munitions magazine, was built to emplace two 8-inch breach-loading rifles to protect Jacksonville, Florida, from naval attack along the" St. Johns River, the agency said in a draft environmental assessment that outlines the decision to preserve the battery. "The concrete battery survives in relatively good condition and continues to convey its historic associations with military coastal defense strategy related to the position’s commanding views of the St. Johns River."

The Park Service acquired the battery from the North Florida Land Trust in a ceremony on December 14, 2018. Beginning in 2015, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve and the North Florida Land Trust worked to save this piece of American history. The City of Jacksonville allocated $162,500, the Delores Barr Weaver fund offered a $100,000 challenge grant, and donors throughout the community helped to reach the $400,000 needed to purchase the property, which was at risk of being demolished.

The battery never saw any live action during the war.

According to the EA, which is open for public comment through December 13, the Park Service believes the public should have access to the site and "gain an understanding of the historical events and associations through the provision of interpretive information." Part of that interpretation would be a primer on the Spanish-American War and the role of the battery.

If the plan is approved, there would be a walkway from Fort Caroline Road up to the battery. From a platform there visitors would be able to view the battery and learn about the fortification from wayside exhibits. There would be no access to the battery, but there would be another trail that would run to the top of the bluff so visitors could take in the view of the St. Johns River.

The plan also calls for preservation experts to clean the concrete and make repairs to cracks and spalls in the concrete, corroded iron and steel elements, "deteriorated cementitious parge coating," and deteriorated paving materials.

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