Fort DeSoto Park · Tierra Verde, Pinellas County Fort DeSoto Batteries & Military PostBuilt in 1898 to defend Tampa Bay — the only mortars of their kind remaining in North America ✦ ✦ ✦Construction began on Fort DeSoto in November 1898 at the mouth of Tampa Bay. What was built here — 29 military structures, two gun batteries, and massive coastal defense mortars — represents one of the most complete surviving examples of an Endicott-era coastal defense installation in the country. Four of its original mortars are the only ones of their kind still standing in North America. 
Fort DeSoto Batteries and Military Post — Mullet Key, Tierra Verde, FL · Built 1898 · National Register of Historic Places 1977
Built to Defend Tampa BayWhen the United States entered the Spanish-American War in April 1898, Tampa citizens immediately demanded increased coastal defenses for their harbor — the nation's primary embarkation point for the Cuba invasion force. The mouth of Tampa Bay, at Egmont Key, was the obvious strategic chokepoint. In November 1898, construction began on a new military post on Mullet Key. Named Fort DeSoto in 1900, the installation grew into a full military post with 29 buildings covering every need of a garrisoned force — from barracks and a hospital to a bakehouse, stables, and workshops. At its heart were two gun batteries designed to stop any Spanish naval vessel before it could reach the troop transports at Port Tampa, nine miles to the north. The Two Batteries
Primary Battery
Battery LaidleyHoused eight 12-inch M1890 MI mortars with a range of 1.25 to 6.8 miles. Designed to deliver plunging fire onto the lightly armored decks of enemy warships — the most effective way to disable or sink a vessel at long range. 4 of the original 8 mortars remain — the only ones of their kind in North America
Secondary Battery
Battery BigelowHeld two 3-inch, 15-pound Driggs-Seabury Model 1898 rapid-fire guns. Designed to stop smaller, faster vessels and to protect the 1.25-mile close-range area that Battery Laidley's mortars could not cover. Collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico — ruins visible in the surf southwest of Battery Laidley 4
Mortars Found Nowhere Else in North AmericaFour of Battery Laidley's original 12-inch M1890 mortars remain at Fort DeSoto — the only surviving examples of their type on the North American continent. The only others in the world are in the Philippines, another Spanish-American War theater. The Military Post — 29 BuildingsFort DeSoto Post Buildings, 1898Barracks
Hospital
Stable
Guardhouse
Administration Office
Mess Hall & Kitchen
Bake House
Storehouse
Workshops
Battery Laidley (primary)
Battery Bigelow (secondary)
+ 18 additional structures
Historical Marker — Full InscriptionFlorida State Historic Marker No. F-965After the United States entry into the Spanish American War, Tampa citizens demanded increased coastal defenses. In November 1898, construction began on a new military post on Mullet Key. Fort De Soto, named in 1900, featured 29 post buildings, including barracks, hospital, stable, guardhouse, administration office, mess hall and kitchen, bake house, storehouse, and workshops. The primary building, Battery Laidley, housed eight 12-inch M1890 MI mortars with a range of 1.25 to 6.8 miles. The secondary building, Battery Bigelow, held two 3-inch, 15-pound Driggs-Seabury Model 1898 rapid-fire guns. These guns were needed to stop smaller, faster vessels, and to protect the 1.25-mile area surrounding the fort that Battery Laidley could not. Four mortars from Battery Laidley remain, and are the only mortars of their kind in North America. The only other ones in the world are in the Philippines. Battery Bigelow collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico but its ruins can be seen in the surf southwest of Battery Laidley. The Fort De Soto Batteries and Military Post was listed on the National Parks Register of Historical Places in 1977, and was designated a local historic landmark by Pinellas County in 2014. Erected 2017 by the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board and the Florida Department of State. · Marker No. F-965. All Three Fort DeSoto LandmarksFort DeSoto Park — Spanish-American War Sites
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Spanish-American War Memorial & Flag Pole — The 1963 dedication marker honoring American Patriots of 1898, especially the Rough Riders.
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Fort DeSoto Batteries & Military Post — You are here. The Endicott-era concrete gun batteries and 29-building military post built in 1898.
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Fort DeSoto Spanish-American War Cannons — The massive coastal defense cannons installed to protect Tampa Bay from Spanish naval attack.
LocationFort DeSoto Park — Mullet Key, Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Coordinates: 27° 36.933′ N, 82° 44.140′ W |
