Transylvania

Spring Break was ending and it was time to head home. We packed up the car, loaded up the kids, and started the long drive back to Arkansas. Before leaving, I took one last photo of the beach.



We were making the drive back home all in one trip, so it kinda cut down on the amount of stops along the way. But I was able to stop once for a picture, in the small and amusingly-named town of Transylvania, Louisiana. I wasn't attacked by any bats or vampires when I stopped to get a picture of the old elementary school, which has been abandoned for about 20 years.

Fort Pickens

Just a short drive from the seafood restaurants, beach homes, hotels, resorts and souvenir shops on Pensacola Beach is Fort Pickens. It sits on a stretch of land that has been preserved as the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Along the with the old fort, there are a few other historic buildings and a fishing pier. When we arrived, we walked out on the pier and saw this guy, who was waiting for any offerings from the many people fishing.



The people who weren't fishing were looking up in the sky, since the Blue Angels were out doing some practice flights.



And then we began the tour of Fort Pickens. After the War of 1812, the US government sought to better defend all of its major ports. Pensacola Bay, and its Navy yard, was considered to be of upmost importance. So a series of forts were planned on the barrier islands around Pensacola Bay. Fort Pickens was the largest of the forts, and construction began in 1829 and was completed in 1834.



Over 21.5 million bricks were used in the construction of the fort. The labor was provided by enslaved people, who toiled in difficult conditions. Many suffered heat exhaustion, and others caught yellow fever. When it was completed, it was one of the largest brick structures along the Gulf Coast.





During its long history, the only time the fort was under attack was during the Civil War. The fort remained in US control during the entire war, despite attacks from confederate troops in 1861. During the war, the fort would become a destination on the Underground Railroad, as enslaved people would travel there to become emancipated.





The fort was much larger than I thought it would be. There were lots of areas to look around and explore.





After the Civil War, a large number of prisoners from the Indian Wars were sent to Fort Pickens. Among the members of the Apache that were held here was Geronimo.







These narrow brick passages were already considered obsolete by the 1890s, as better technology meant different types of defensive weapons were needed. Part of the parade ground in the middle of the fort was taken up by larger and more modern canons. And mines were stored at Fort Pickens, which could be placed in Pensacola Bay if it came under attack.



In 1899, a fire in the fort reached one of the bastions that held about 8,000 pounds of gunpowder. The resulting explosion completed destroyed the bastion and sent bricks flying for over a mile and half.



Additional defensive batteries were added to the lands around the fort after World War I, and then more were added during World War II.





After World War II, the fort was considered fully obsolete, since the Blue Angels could probably better attack an enemy ship than a few old canons could. The fort was made a part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in 1972.





But maybe the biggest threat to the fort hasn't been confederate artillery or German U-boats. It's been Mother Nature. The old fort has been hit by a few hurricanes over the years, and has had to close for repairs and restorations.





It was an interesting place to visit. It's hard to think about what it must have been like way back when it was being built. Or to have been a soldier there in the summer heat being on the look-out for enemy ships. Would people 150 years ago have been able to imagine that tourists in the future would be taking selfies there? Or that people would be able to simply hop in their air-conditioned car and drive down the road to go and eat a bunch of fried shrimp from a place like Peg Leg Pete's?

Pensacola Beach

We drove through Alabama and then finally into Florida. It was storming when we arrived in Pensacola, with heavy rains and a few bolts of lightning. We checked into our place for the rest of the week, which had this great view of the beach (and the dark clouds hanging over the Gulf).



Later on, the sun managed to break through the clouds. And we were treated with a pretty great sunset from the balcony of our rental.





The beaches at Pensacola are beautiful. The water was crystal-clear, and the sand was fluffy and brilliantly white. And most of the land along the island is preserved and protected, which means most of the beaches are undeveloped and pristine.



One night after dark I went out onto the balcony and tried to get a few pictures. The moonlight had illuminated the white sandy beaches, and the stars were shining out above the Gulf.



I set up the camera for some star trails. It was an ideal place, since I could just retreat back into the rental property while the camera sat and took pictures for two hours. There were a few clouds that drifted through the sky (along with a few helicopters), but it resulted in this star trail photo:

Hattiesburg

We drove to Hattiesburg, where we had booked a room for the night. We had dinner at a brewery in downtown, which was a charming area with lots of old buildings. One of the most dominant was the Hattiesburg Coca-Cola bottling plant. It opened in 1910, and at one point it operated all day and produced more than 1.24 million cases of Coke a year.



In 1955, most of the bottling operations were moved to a more modern facility. The building has since had a few different uses. It's been a restaurant, bar and nightclub. Currently it's being used as an events venue.



Hattiesburg has a lot of neat old homes and buildings. I wish we had more time there, but we needed to hit the road. I did make one quick stop and got a shot of this old ghost sign on the side of an abandoned-looking building.



The other passengers in the car were eager to finish the drive to Florida, but I was able to make one last stop before we left Mississippi. There was this beautiful old home, which had looked like it had been abandoned for awhile. But this one seems like it's being taken care of - the first floor has gotten a fresh coat of paint. Hope this old place can be restored.

Jackson

As our Spring Break road trip headed through Mississippi, we made a stop in the state capitol of Jackson. I was kinda surprised at how small and compact downtown Jackson was, but it did have a good collection of old and interesting buildings. This is the Mississippi state capital building, which was built in 1903.







Not too far away was this neat old building, which was once the Morris Ice Company. It was built in 1924, and was one of the largest distributors of ice in Mississippi.



The Morris Ice Company was founded in 1875. Back then, ice wasn't something that was easily acquired, at least in the South. Companies would acquire blocks of ice carved out of the frozen lakes of the northern states. It would be packed in boxes with sawdust, and then shipped down the Mississippi River. 

 

Eventually, technology was developed to actually freeze and produce ice in factories like this.





The ice factory was in operation until 1988. After that, it seems like the building was left abandoned.





Someone bought the building and had made plans to turn it into a restaurant and music venue in 2019. But I'm guessing the pandemic messed up those plans.