By: Debra Hess
Yankee Freedom II Naturalist

General Joseph Totten, Chief of the Army’s Engineers from 1838 – 1864 designed the Totten Shutters used on the gun ports of Fort Jefferson. These large slabs of wrought iron complete with iron shutters were designed to protect gunners from small projectiles and musket fire while loading cannons weighing several tons per gun opening and integrated into both the exterior wall and the interior of the fort, these embrasures were crucial to fort construction during this time period.

Over time in the salt environment of Dry Tortugas, the shutters have oxidized. Swelling in width and pushing the bricks off the outer walls of Fort Jefferson. The fort is a veneer of brick-filled with coral boulders, rubble, sand and concrete. The outer brick veneer is crucial to protect Fort Jefferson from storms and hurricanes.

The founding legislation of Dry Tortugas National Park mandates the National Park Service to “protect, stabilize, restore and interpret Fort Jefferson, an outstanding example of nineteenth century masonry fortification” for future generations without undertaking serious action to stop further degradation, it became obvious to the National Park Service personnel that the walls of Fort Jefferson were in serious trouble.

Underway for about 5 years now, a multiyear preservation project is underway to stabilize the outer walls for Fort Jefferson. Iron embrasures are removed, the walls stabilized and re-bricked, concrete (made with local sand and coral) and historic bricks are used. Lastly, replicas of the historic Totten shutters are placed in the gun ports.

Construction workers are housed and fed at Fort Jefferson during the renovation work.

While visiting Fort Jefferson, a walk around the moat will show sections of the fort wall where stabilization has been completed. Scaffolding is present where work will take place this spring. The west wall of Fort Jefferson shows the damage for future repairs.

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By: “Tortuga” Jack Hackett

Fort Jefferson Fort at the Dry Tortugas.

As “Silent Night” still lingers in the ears and resolutions are still forthcoming, here at Ft. Jefferson bricks, bricks and more bricks await the capable hands of returning work crews. The air is permeated with a sense of elation shared by masons on the embrasure project that is without a doubt akin to the feeling shared by those who toiled here in the 1800’s knowing that soon the men would be returning to their hometowns or to Key West for several weeks of comfort. Present day masons share the closest experience to the original laborers who fashioned the largest masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere.

Bring in the brick to continue restoration.

Yankee Freedom sailing by the renovation site.

Bricks are arriving on a barge-like craft which conjures up images of a construction project that was in progress one hundred fifty years ago. These bricks await special placement having been specially made in an attempt to replicate the original bricks in size, color and weight. This involves the use of custom forms and specialty clay mixes. The bricks cannot be shipped until they have met the National Park Service’s rigorous inspections and approval. Once the National Park Service has approved the finished product, the bricks are produced in larger quantities and shipped to Fort Jefferson where they will receive placement designation.

For now, however, there is more embrasure removal, clearing of wall fragments from the moat and the wall straightening continues. Embrasure pieces are cleared and hauled away. These photos should help illustrate the huge amount of work involved and the complexity of the effort. It is truly astonishing to view the elaborate process that precedes the laying of a brick.

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By “ Tortuga” Jack Hackett

Well, whatever sound you would make to indicate a thunderous explosion from a cannon, resounding throughout the bricked vaulted ceilings of the casement or gun-room in which it is heard. The decibels produced would exceed those of a heavy metal rock band with the volume cranked to the max.

One might arrive at this conclusion while standing inside one of the casements at Ft. Jefferson. This is just one part of the fort’s awesome architecture evident amidst sixteen million bricks utilized in the construction of the fort that began in 1846.

General Joseph Totten, chief of engineers, is the man most responsible from Fort Jefferson’s construction. He was a meticulous calculator and super micro-manager. Masons of today when arriving at Fort Jefferson to begin and/or continue major projects, marvel at General Trotten’s innovations and designs. For example, methods of cutting castings and fittings of stone and metal (in particular massive iron shutters known as “Totten Embrasures)” are remarkable. In order to prevent mortar from fragmenting, General Totten made lead concrete which was used to mount the shutters.

Oh, this kind of thing just scratches the surface; talk to someone as enthused as Kelly Clark about these projects and you will be engulfed in a sea of amazement. Kelly first arrived in the Dry Tortugas for the “Hot Shot” project in 2003. She, of course, fell in love with the area but had to return to Santa Fe in order to complete other assignments. She has now returned to lead, coordinate and supervise several of the Historic Planning Programs. Not only does she have a good understanding of the hurdles encountered during the original construction, but also has a firm grip on the challenges present at this time. There are a myriad of glitches that arise in the field that find their way to her desk.

On the other hand, they are well underway to remove seventeen shutters and salvage brick for reuse. Next they will duplicate these shutters from the original design plans, and install them following the rule of preservation as closely as possible. This rule, in a nutshell, is to use the same materials, methods and tools as were used in the nineteenth century. One deviation from this rule will be the use of reinforced fiberglass concrete as a substitute for iron. This will prevent rust, expansion and the fading of the color of the embrasures.

All of these multifaceted restoration projects will be performed during the next three to five years. Currently, the most visible project is the “Totten Embrasure” project. So head on out to the Dry Tortugas National Park and to Ft. Jefferson, find your way across the parade ground, read the information posted there, stroll into the gunroom, cover your ears and be amazed.

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