Tag: Fortification

  • Bogue Banks Bound, Part 4 (Conflicts)

    These areas near the coast were particularly valuable during a time when limited transportation options existed. Naturally new European arrivals settled there and built their towns. Even so, times were not always wonderful. Differing outlooks led to inevitable conflicts. Just as I’d discovered during my recent trip to South Carolina, military conflicts left their marks…

  • Bermuda Shorts, Part 6 (Forts )

    Longtime readers of Twelve Mile Circle know that I love my forts, fortresses and fortifications. So I really loved Bermuda, a place practically custom-designed by Great Britain to be one giant fort. Its strategic placement and and heavy militarization led to its nickname the “Gibraltar of the West.” Maybe I should have included it in…

  • Fort Delaware

    Pea Patch Island, New Castle Co., Delaware (July 2000) The newly-minted United States government identified the need for a fort along the Delaware River. This would help protect the approaches to major port cities such as Wilmington, Delaware and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The military eyed Pea Patch Island, a swampy swath of river deposit that barely…

  • Australasian Adventures, Part 11 (Lists)

    We’re getting close to the end with this penultimate article in the Australasian series. Thank you for bearing with me. I thought I would shift my focus and provide an update on various lists that I maintain. I’m known to be a bit obsessive-compulsive and I tally visits to places or objects that I consider…

  • Islands and Cape, Part 1 (Seacoast Scenes)

    It seemed like I was on the road just yesterday and here I was back out in the wilds once again. This time my wife and I were celebrating a round-numbered wedding anniversary so we headed up to coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I’d been to Boston many times before, however I’d never traveled along…

  • Southern Swing, Part 1

    I still hate airlines. I don’t fear flying, I simply want to withhold my money from those greedy [censored] until the tight squeeze of market forces compel them to start treating their passengers with a little respect. I’m pretty much at the point where I’ll drive to any destination of a thousand miles or even…

  • Coast Defense Study Group

    I don’t generally review individual websites. I’ve done that in the distant past and even then it happened only on rare occasions. It’s not because I don’t believe they’re not worthy. Rather, it’s because I like to provide links that align with a specific context I’m attempting to portray on 12MC. Plus, I’m not very…

  • Fortress Fixation

    I used my unexpected day off from work yesterday — courtesy of the weekend snowstorm — to focus on a webpage I’ve wanted to construct for awhile. It serves as a portal to various pages that outline historic military fortresses that I’ve encountered and recorded during my travels. Yes, along with lighthouses, waterfalls, breweries, ferries,…