Completed in 1923, Battery Langdon is named after General Loomis L. Langdon, who spent three tours at Fort Pickens and served as its commander while famed Apache leader, Geronimo, was held there.

Featuring the largest pair of guns positioned at Fort Pickens, Battery Langdon is two miles away from the fort itself. Both guns were protected against naval and air bombardment by casements of concrete 17-feet thick. These massive 12-inch guns could fire a one-foot-diameter projectile weighing a half-ton almost 17 miles.

McHenry Harry described the impressive power of the guns after firing one for the first time:

"It felt like the world was ending." - recounting that his hat blew off, his pants were split, and he could see the concussion ripple through the sand.

Powder storage proved to be a problem for the coastal batteries due to inclement weather and the potential of rising water levels; the interior of Battery Langdon had water levels from previous hurricanes marked in red, above which ammunition was stored on racks to avoid damage from future storms.

Tracks ran from Fort Pickens to Battery Langdon, allowing a train to travel back-and-forth to move men and supplies such as powder and ammunition; these tracks are now gone and have been transformed into a bike path and the western trailhead of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Credits and Sources:

Information provided by the National Park Service. Photo provided by Chad K. Mills.

If you want to learn more about Battery Langdon and Fort Pickens consider buying The Fort Pickens Story by Thomas Muir and David Ogden.