Fort Macon State Park General Management Plan

56 Pages·2001·3 MB·English

General Management Plan
for
Fort Macon State Park
Department of Environmentand NaturalResources
Division ofParks and Recreation
October28, 2001
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/fortmaconstatepa01unse
111
Table of Contents
Page
Introduction
I. Description ofFortMacon StatePark 1-1
Location 1-1
Land Base 1-1
Visitor Facilities 1-1
History ofFort Macon 1-4
II. ParkPurposes H-l
Mission Statement for the State Parks System II-l
Fort Macon State Park Purpose Statement II-l
III. SummaryofInterpretive Themes III-l
Primary Interpretive Themes III-2
Secondary Interpretive Themes IH-2
IV. Parkand RecreationDemand and Trends TV-1
Annual Visitation Trends TV-l
Monthly Visitation Trends IV-
.
Population Trends IV-3
Tourism Trends rV-5
Interpretation and Education Trends IV-6
Visitor Information IV-6
Outdoor Recreation Participation in North Carolina TV-7
Priorities ofPublic Outdoor Recreation Funding rV-9
Management Implications IV-10
Area Outdoor Recreation Opportunities rV-12
V. Summary of Laws GuidingParkManagement V-l
State Legal Mandates V-l
Federal Laws V-3
VI. Natural and CulturalResource Management VI-
Natural Resource Management Policy VI-
Natural Communities VI-2
Natural Heritage Program Element Occurrences VI-3
Registered Natural Heritage Areas VI-4
Natural and Cultural Resource Management Issues VI-5
Page
VII. PhysicalPlantInventory VIM
FacilityInventory and Inspection Program VH-1
Status ofFacilities VII-2
Facility RepairNeeds Cost Summary VII-4
Road and Utilities Inventory VII-5
Major Capital Improvement Priorities VTI-8
VIII. ParkOperations VIII-1
Introduction VIII-1
Inadequate Staffing VIII-1
Using Park Staffto Rent Baskets to Visitors VIH-3
Park Speed Limit VIH-3
Overcrowding Vffl-3
Managing Theodore Roosevelt State Natural Area VIII-4
IX. LandAcquisitionNeeds LX-1
. .
INTRODUCTION
Planning is an essential component ofeffective and efficientpark administration and management.
The North Carolina General Assemblyacknowledged its importance bypassing state parks system
legislation that includes planning requirements. The 1987 State Parks Act (G.S.I 14-44.7 through
114-44.14) stipulates that a State Parks System Plan be prepared. The plan is to evaluate the
statewide significance ofparks, identify duplications and deficiencies in the system, describe the
resources ofthesystem,proposesolutionstoproblems, describe anticipatedtrends, andrecommend
means and methods ofaccommodating trends.
The StateParks Act also requires eachparkto have anindividual generalmanagementplan(GMP).
GMP
The is required to:
...include a statement ofpurposefor the park based upon its relationship to the
System Plan andits classification. An analysis ofthemajorresources andfacilities
on hand to achieve thosepurposes shall be completed along with a statement of
managementdirection. Thegeneralmanagementplanshallberevisedasnecessary
to complywith the System Plan andto achieve thepurpose ofthe[StateParksAct]
A GMP is to be acomprehensive five-yearplan ofmanagement for aparkunit. GMP's functionto:
1 Describe park resources and facilities;
2. State the purpose and importance ofeach park unit;
3. Outline interpretive themes and propose locations for informational and interpretive
facilities;
4. Analyze park and recreation demands and trends in the park's service area;
5. Summarize the primary laws guiding park operations;
6. Identify internal and external threats to park natural and cultural resources, and propose
appropriate responses;
7. Identify and set priorities for capital improvement needs;
8. Analyze visitor services and propose efficient, effective, and appropriate means of
responding to visitor needs; and
9. Review park operations and identify actions to support efficient and effective park
administrative procedures.
This document contains the general management plan for Fort Macon State Park.
DESCRIPTION OF FORT
I.
MACON STATE PARK
LOCATION
Fort Macon State Park is located on the eastern tip ofBogue Banks in Carteret County. The park
is surroundedonthree sidesbywater,withtheAtlantic Oceantothesouth,BeaufortInlettotheeast,
and Bogue Sound to the north. The western boundary is shared with the Town ofAtlantic Beach.
Visitors to Fort Macon travel viaN.C. 58, which terminates in the park (Figure 1-1).
LAND BASE
The 389-acre park stretches across Bogue Banks from the Atlantic Ocean to Bogue Sound. The
barrier island park includes active and relict dunes, swales, supra and intertidal salt marshes, and
fresh water ponds. The park's southern boundary runs VA miles along the Atlantic Ocean, and a
large saltwater marsh along Bogue Sound encompasses the northern side ofthe park. One large
inholding, a Coast Guard station, is located approximately one mile inside park boundaries.
VISITOR FACILITIES
Visitor facilities at Fort Macon State Park provide opportunities for swimming, fishing, beach
activities, hiking, picnicking, and visiting thehistoric fort. Thepark is an excellent destination for
daytrips to theoceanbecauseitistheonlypublicbeachaccessonBogueBankswithalargeparking
lot, a swimmingbeach, andabathhouse. Elevenpicnic shelters are available forfamilies and small
groups at the swimming beach. The bathhouse area has a system oframps designed to provide
wheelchair access from the parking lot to the beach. Several "sand-riks," wheelchair-like devices
with large plastic wheels, are available to transport mobility-impaired individuals across the sand
to the ocean surf. A sun shelter overlooks the swimming beach and allows visitors to enjoy the
beach front while in a large shaded area.
Fort Macon offers visitors a glimpse into the past. The fort, built over 165 years ago, has been
restored in several areas. Additional restoration is in progress which will make much-needed
structural repairs as well as complete the historical renovation process. The fort parking lot also
serves visitors who want to fishBeaufortInlet from thejettyoruse the adjacentbeach (Figure 1-2).
1-1
Figure 1-1. Location Map
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HISTORY OF FORT MACON
The inlets and sounds ofcoastal North Carolina have always attracted seafarers looking for safe
harbors as well as pirates looking for pillage. When the town ofBeaufort was designated in 1722
— —
as an official port of entry part ofthe effort to keep trade within legitimate channels coastal
defenseatBeaufortInletbecameevenmoreimportant. In 1747, SpanishraidersattackedtheEnglish
colonists at Beaufort, pillaging the town and holding it for several days. The nextyear, funds were
appropriated fortheconstruction offour forts to defendthisimportantbutvulnerableharboragainst
futurehostilities. One ofthem, calledFortDobbs,was begunatwhat is nowBeaufortInletin 1756
during the French and Indian War. When the war ended, however, work on the fort ceased and it
was neverfinished. In 1782, duringthewarforindependence, Beaufortwas once againcapturedby
hostile forces, this time the English. After the Revolutionary War, the harbor remained without
defenses until 1809 when the government built Fort Hampton, a circular brick masonry structure
located 300 yards northeast of the site of the present-day Fort Macon. Fort Hampton's guns
protectedtheharborthroughtheWarof1812,butitwas abandonedthereafter. By 1825, storms and
the shifting inlet had washed away some 200 yards ofbeach, including Fort Hampton.
FortMaconwasplanned aspart ofamassive coastal defenseprogram launchedbyPresident James
Monroe inthe 1820s toprotectthe coastwithouthavingto maintaina largenavy. Otherforts onthe
coast (Sumter, Pulaski, Jackson, Jefferson, Morgan, St. Phillip, etc.) werepartofthe sameprogram
and canbe considered sisterforts ofFort Macon. Named fortheprominentNorth Carolina Senator
NathanielMacon,whoprocuredthe funds tobuildit, FortMaconwasbegunin 1826. Ittook 8 years
to complete at a cost of$463,790.
Thebrick and stone fortwas beautifullydesignedbyBrig. General SimonBernard. Chiefengineer
Lt. WilliamEliason,U.S. ArmyEngineers, ledconstructionofthefive-sidedfort. Some 9.2million
bricks were used, most ofthem procured from local contractors, such as OtwayBurns in Beaufort.
Thepurple-graystoneused forthestairways and copingonthewalls is ConnecticutFreestone. The
mortar and plaster were made from processes using burned crushed oyster shells. One side ofthe
pentagon-shaped fort guards the mouth ofthe inlet, two sides guard the channel and back sounds,
one looks over the harbor, and one covers the beach approaches. The fort has an outer line of
defense called the covertway and an inner citadel. The wall ofthe covertway is 12 to 15 feet high,
while the wall inside the fort that overlooks the parade ground is 17 feet high. Separating the
covertwayand inner citadel is amoat called the "Ditch," thebottom ofwhich is nearmean low tide
level. It was sometimes filled with tidal water that came up from the sound through a canal and
passed under the outer wall by means ofa culvert. The ditch was defended by four "counterfire"
rooms in the covertwaythat swept all avenueswithrifle fire and small cannon firing anti-personnel
ammunition. The counterfire prevented enemy soldiers from overrunning the ditch and moat and
therebypenetratinginto themainpart ofthe fort. The fort had threemagazines to store powder and
ammunition, one located behind each of the three stairways. The stairways provided added
protection against shellfire. There are 26 vaulted rooms orcasemates in the fort, includingthe sally
port, with ceilings arched to give added strength and dissipate concussion from shells explodingon
terrepleins or from guns firing in battle. Outer walls average 4.5 feet thick. The rooms have
fireplaces, two holes in the ceiling for ventilation, and outer windows, which are in reality rifle
loopholes and gun ports. The arches of the sally port, as well as the doors and windows ofthe
1-4
.
casemates, open onto the parade ground in the middle of the fort. Gutters in the walls caught
rainwater filtering through the sand from above andpiped it to the four large cisterns located in the
corners below the parade ground. The cisterns could hold a total of22,000 gallons. Because there
was a seepage problem with salt water, the water was never used for drinking, and wells located
outside the fort provided drinking water. Five sewer/drain lines carried water to a central drain in
the center ofthe parade ground. From there, waterwas emptied by a pipe into the ditch under the
bridge. Bathroom facilities were outside the fort; the fort "sink" was located at the head ofthe
marsh. A hospital, stables, storage buildings, and quarters for some ofthe officers and married
personnel were also located inbuildings outside the fort.
Fort Macon was garrisoned as soon as itwas finished in 1834, although no guns were given for its
defenseuntil ayearlater. In the 1840s, asystem ofstonejetties was constructed to control erosion,
a project initially engineered by Captain Robert E. Lee, the future Commander in Chief of the
Confederate armies. The fort remained intermittently occupied by federal troops, engineer
detachmentsmakingrepairs andimprovements, orordnance sergeants acting as caretakersuntilthe
Civil War overtook it in 1861
OnApril 14, 1861,FortMaconwas seizedbyacompanyoflocal Confederatetroops actingwithout
authorization. Only one man, Ordnance Sergeant William Alexander, was in the fort at the time.
The Confederate Army quickly garrisoned the fort with more companies, totaling about 900 men.
With 40 men living in each room, living conditions were pooruntil the garrison was reduced. The
A
Confederates worked feverishlyto prepare the fort for battle over the next few months. total of
54 guns were mounted for its defense (8- and 10-inch Columbiads and smoothbore and rifled 32-
and 24-pounders), the most guns the fort ever had. Just before the Union attack in March of1862,
—
the garrison was reduced to 450 men five artillery companies, all ofthem from North Carolina,
with two from Carteret County. The fort commandant was a 27-year-old Mississippian and West
Point graduate, Col. Moses J. White.
Meanwhile, Major General Ambrose Burnside was leading Union forces through the northeastern
sound region ofthe state, finallyenteringtheNeuseRiverto captureNewBernonMarch 14, 1862,
whichwasthenmadetheheadquartersoftheUnionforces. AportionofoneofBurnside'sbrigades,
commandedbyBrig. General JohnG. Parke, was sentdown fromNewBernto captureFortMacon.
Burnside wanted Beaufort harbor for his supply ships as well as other ships ofthe Union Navy.
Parke easily capturedMorehead City on March 23 and Beaufort on March 26 and then transferred
his troops, supplies, and artillery over to Bogue Banks.
A
demand to surrender on March 23 was refused by the fort. After several skirmishes with
Confederate soldiers, Parke's men succeeded in entrenching 1,200 yards from the fort, while three
largebatteriesofsiegeguns (twobatteriesofmortarsandoneof30-pounderParrottRifleguns)were
established 1,280 to 1,680 yards from the fort. On the morning ofApril 25, Unionbatteries opened
fire onthe fort. The Confederates respondedwith at least 25 oftheir 54 guns, those that couldbear
ontheUnionpositions. Whenfourvessels oftheUnionblockade fleetjoinedin fromtheocean, the
fort's guns quickly drove them off. Two Union ships suffered damage. Battle smoke obscured
vision, however, and Union fire missedthe fort most ofthat morninguntil aUnion signal officer in
Beaufort noticed the problem and signaled range correction to the batteries. This proved to be the
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