I have as my current screensaver a picture of a castle (or fort?) on top of San Marino, a small city-state in northern Italy, which overlooks mountains and valleys all around it. It’s architecturally grand, of course, particularly in light of its mountain-top location.

But it also reflects the perceived need for the inhabitants of that area to maintain a protective lookout, to warn against any approaching enemy.

There is a certain mystique about Castles and Forts, an aura of both mystery and adventure, that is sure to grab one’s attention, particularly as a kid. When I was just a young sprout, I was always interested in visiting area forts. For someone like me, who is interested in both architecture and history, our greater coastal region offers many opportunities to see and explore interesting sites.

Fort Pulaski, near Tybee Island, which was built to protect the city of Savannah from enemies arriving from the Atlantic Ocean, was of course the most prominent, and always a favorite, partly because it was so big, partly because the view from the top was always exciting, and partly because it was close enough to our home in Savannah that it was easily accessible for frequent visits.

(The huge fig bush in the eastern corner of the parade ground was also an attraction, particularly in the summer months when figs – which I love – were in season! I have never seen a fig bush so large; it seemed to take up most of that corner.)

Fort Screven, on Tybee’s North Beach, was also interesting, but much smaller, and much less grand than Fort Pulaski’s sprawling parade grounds and parapets.

The adjacent Lighthouse was always fun to climb, and afforded an incredible view from the top.

Fort Jackson, just east of Savannah on President Street, was not yet rehabilitated from the overgrown mess it had been allowed to become, since it was last manned. Now it is restored and available for visiting, even by boat from the Savannah River.

Fort McAlister, on the Ogeechee River in Richmond Hill, is a different kind of fort, made of earthworks (dirt mounds) instead of brick.

The earthen mounds were designed to absorb cannon fire without facing destruction, as brickwork forts did. But that did not stop it from being overrun by Yankees during our Civil War, in 1862.

Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter in nearby Charleston, SC, were also places my mom took me and my brothers to, one summer or two, on day trips. Fort Sumter was accessible only by boat, so going on a boat ride across the Charleston Harbor was also a big thrill for a little boy. The view from its parapets across the Charleston Sound to the island city across the water, was equally awe-inspiring.

(I have also, as an adult, had the opportunity to visit Fort McHenry, in the Baltimore harbor, where our national anthem was inspired during an attack by the British in the War of 1812. It too is only accessible by boat, like Fort Sumter. I remember being struck, as an adult, by how small they both were, compared to what my mind had previously thought.)

Fort King George in Darien, a small fishing village a few miles north of Brunswick, is a very basic form of fort, mostly a wooden two-story blockhouse that probably served more as a Lookout Post than an actual protective garrison. But it served its purpose, during those years when early colonists were worried about attacks by the Spanish or French, or even Native Americans (Indians, as they were called then).

Fort Fredericka, on St. Simons Island, just east of Brunswick, was just a small outpost made of tabby, an early form of concrete made of lime and cocquina shells, a small but plentiful shell found in our coastal area. That is the same substance used in building the Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine, FL. Its main attraction was its ability to “swallow” cannonballs without blowing apart the surrounding brickwork. It was also much easier to make than baking bricks made of clay.

It wasn’t until many years later that I had the opportunity to visit the Castillo de San Marco, just south of Jacksonville, or Fort Clinch in nearby Fernandina Beach. The latter was similar in design and size to Fort Pulaski, though a bit smaller. The “Castle of St. Mark” (as it would be called in English) was built by Spaniards, long before Georgia was colonized, right on the Matanzas River, protecting the city of St. Augustine from ocean approaches. It is now a major tourist attraction. My wife and I have visited there many times.

What a wealth of history we have in our coastal area!

Next up – Fort Pulaski. Rafe Semmes is a proud graduate of (“the original”) Savannah High School and the University of Georgia. He and his wife are both long-time Rotarians, and live in eastern Liberty County with their passel of orphaned rescue cats. He writes on a variety of topics, and may be reached at rafe_semmes@yahoo.com.