Fort Flagler State Park is a public recreation area that occupies the site of Fort Flagler, a former

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

at the northern end of

Marrowstone Island Marrowstone is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 844 at the 2010 census. All Marrowstone addresses are in Nordland, Washington, and the ZIP code for Marrowstone Island is 98358. ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

occupies at the entrance to

Admiralty Inlet Admiralty Inlet is a strait in the U.S. state of Washington connecting the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound. It lies between Whidbey Island and the northeastern part of the Olympic Peninsula. Boundaries It is generally c ...

and the Marrowstone Point Light lying adjacent.

Port Townsend Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...

is visible to the northwest, the cranes at the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

base on Indian Island to the west, and

Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington State. (The other large island is Camano Island, ...

to the east across Admiralty Inlet. Flagler Road (SR 116) terminates at the park entrance.

History

Fort Flagler was a

Coast Artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

fort that along with

Fort Worden Fort Worden Historical State Park is located in Port Townsend, Washington, on originally known as Fort Worden, a United States Army Coast Artillery Corps base constructed to protect Puget Sound from invasion by sea. Fort Worden was named after U. ...

and

Fort Casey Fort Casey State Park is located on Whidbey Island, in Island County, Washington state. It is a Washington state park and a historic district within the U.S. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. Admiralty Inlet was considered so strate ...

once guarded Admiralty Inlet, the nautical entrance to

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

as part of a "Triangle of Fire" defensive plan. Admiralty Inlet was considered so strategic to the defense of Puget Sound that the three forts were placed at the entrance with huge guns creating a "triangle of fire." This military strategy was built on the theory that the three fortresses would thwart any invasion attempt by sea. Fort Flagler was established in 1897 and activated in 1899. The post was named for

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Daniel Webster Flagler Daniel Webster Flagler (June 20, 1835 – March 29, 1899) was a United States Army Brigadier General. He was prominent as the Army's 9th Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps. Early life Flagler was appointed to the United States ...

, an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

veteran who served as the Army's

Chief of Ordnance The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a Combat service support (United States), sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Lee (Virginia), Fort Lee, Virginia. The ...

. The fort was closed in June 1953. The property was purchased as a state park in 1955.

Amenities and activities

Fort Flagler has hiking and biking trails, campsites, group campsites, boat launches, and historical buildings where visitors can stay - the Hospital Steward's House, the Waterway House, and the North and South Non-Commissioned Officers' Quarters. The park's museum features exhibits about the history of the fort. Guided tours of the historic fort buildings can be arranged in advance. The park plays host to the annual conferences and meetings of many area cultural and athletic groups.From 1958 to 1989 it was home to the

Seattle Youth Symphony Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras (SYSO) is the largest youth symphony organization and youth orchestra training program in the United States, as well as the eighth oldest. Programs SYSO-in-the-Schools supports public school instrumental music pr ...

's Pacific Northwest Music Camp and

Marrowstone Music Festival The Marrowstone Music Festival is an orchestral training program that takes place in the Pacific Northwest. The program is targeted at high school and college students, around 200 of which play in the program annually. The festival features or ...

every August. A film "1812 Overture" was filmed on location there in 1974. Every August, the Kamiak Show Band holds its annual "band camp," during which band members learn new music, prepare for the upcoming marching band season, and rehearse in sessions enjoyed by members of the visiting public.

Newport High School (Bellevue, Washington) Newport High School (NHS) is a public high school in Bellevue, Washington. It serves students in grades 9–12 in the southern part of the Bellevue School District, including the neighborhoods of Eastgate, Factoria, Newport Hills, Newport Shores, ...

also holds a cross-country camp at Fort Flagler for one week during the summer.

Eastside Catholic High School Eastside Catholic School is a private Roman Catholic secondary school located in Sammamish, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle within the Archdiocese of Seattle. It has a faith-based educational program for students in grades 6 through 12. D ...

juniors and seniors take a trip to Fort Flagler for the Destiny retreat.

Seattle Girls Choir The Seattle Girls Choir (SGC) was established in 1982 by Dr. Jerome L. Wright as a "junior conservatory" where young women from throughout the Puget Sound region could gather after school to develop their music education. In 2009, Dr. Wright ret ...

has their annual "Choir Camp" during the first weekend in August. This is a time for all three of the upper level choirs to have intensive music instruction in an environment that is fun and enjoyable United Methodist Youth from the Seattle/Tacoma district enjoy a weekend retreat there in mid-late fall. The

neo-pagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

Aquarian Tabernacle Church The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) is a Wiccan church located in Index, Washington. It is one of the first Wiccan organisations to receive full legal recognition as a church in the United States and Australia. The church has an umbrella 501c(3) ...

performs a modern

Eleusinian Mysteries The Eleusinian Mysteries ( el, Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια, Eleusínia Mystḗria) were initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Elefsina in ancient Greece. They are the " ...

play here over

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

weekend each year. Since 2020 the park has a new sea kayak eco-tourism company called Olympic Kayak Tours.

References

External links

Fort Flagler State Park
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Fort Flagler State Park Map
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission {{authority control Parks in Jefferson County, Washington State parks of Washington (state) Flagler Museums in Jefferson County, Washington Military and war museums in Washington (state) Flagler National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Washington Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) 1897 establishments in Washington (state) 1953 disestablishments in Washington (state) Protected areas established in 1955 1955 establishments in Washington (state)