kilted at castle park

[grizzbass]

It is actually an old civil war fort. It was supposedly open (you can walk through and around a civil war fort) park literature. We got there and it was closed. Maybe they heard my daughter was going to work for the national park in New Orleans and didn't feel comfortable letting her take any information south.

we stopped at the annual Christmas tree gift from Nova scotia to boston. (A pretty cool story)

Heidi on the ferry and the U.S.S. Constitution

Her at the fort.
And me at the fort


Reflection in the morning
We ended the day at the library and a nearby church

[Famous Willie]

The Province of Nova Scotia has been sending a Tree to Boston as a gift to the City for sending Doctors and Nurses and other Medical Supplies after the two ships, the SS Imo and SS Mont Blanc, collided in Halifax Harbour 6 December, 1917 and caused the Explosion that leveled most of North End Halifax... It killed a lot and injured a lot more.. It is a Story I know well having grown up in Nova Scotia.

[grizzbass]

a really cool story. I got home from boston and saw a show that had that as one of the stories. I know it touched me and my daughter who works for the federal Park Service was thankful for the background.

[Orvis]

Fort Independence (constructed from the 1830s through the 1850s as a second generaton U.S. Army seacoast defense fort) sits on what was formerly Castle Island (now no longer an island by virtue of being connected with mainland Boston with a causeway) in Boston harbor. Used as a defensive installation since 1634, during the 18th century the island was the site of Castle William, a British Army fort that was destroyed after rebellious colonists under George Washington took Boston from the British Army in 1775, the island then being occupied by Congressional forces. In 1775, after Fort William was in the hands of American forces, I believe it was used to house Highland prisoners from the 71st Regiment (Fraser's) after their ship unknowingly sailed into Boston harbor and was captured. As I recall, the Highlanders were not happy with being captured and disregarded the surrender terms by destroying their arms and some supplies on board their ship, and afterward were then treated somewhat roughly by their captors. In the 1790's the new fort on the island was renamed Fort Independence, and the current masonry structure was begun in the 1830's to defend Boston from seaward invasion. The fort was rendered obsolete by rifled artillery during the American Civil War and eventually passed out of U.S. Army ownership. I think its great that Boston has converted the fort into a park and maintains it for the enjoyment of everybody.

[grizzbass]

Fort Independence (constructed from the 1830s through the 1850s as a second generaton U.S. Army seacoast defense fort) sits on what was formerly Castle Island (now no longer an island by virtue of being connected with mainland Boston with a causeway) in Boston harbor. Used as a defensive installation since 1634, during the 18th century the island was the site of Castle William, a British Army fort that was destroyed after rebellious colonists under George Washington took Boston from the British Army in 1775, the island then being occupied by Congressional forces. In 1775, after Fort William was in the hands of American forces, I believe it was used to house Highland prisoners from the 71st Regiment (Fraser's) after their ship unknowingly sailed into Boston harbor and was captured. As I recall, the Highlanders were not happy with being captured and disregarded the surrender terms by destroying their arms and some supplies on board their ship, and afterward were then treated somewhat roughly by their captors. In the 1790's the new fort on the island was renamed Fort Independence, and the current masonry structure was begun in the 1830's to defend Boston from seaward invasion. The fort was rendered obsolete by rifled artillery during the American Civil War and eventually passed out of U.S. Army ownership. I think its great that Boston has converted the fort into a park and maintains it for the enjoyment of everybody.

My only complaint was the park page was not informative about the fort, not just it's history but whether or not it was open. It5 basically said the park is open from... and while it was opened these were the activities you could do which included wandering through and around the fort. They haven't responded to my complaint yet. I don't care that they have to close it I just think they need to be clear when they do it so while it was nice the fort was the reason we went out there. ah well if it's the worst disappointment of my life I guess I'd be lucky.