A Report on Engineering and Other Considerations with Regard to the Development of Fort Jefferson National Monument
Preece E. 1937. A Report on Engineering and Other Considerations with Regard to the Development of Fort Jefferson National Monument. Historic Structure Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Washington D.C.
Written two years after Fort Jefferson's designation as a national monument, this report outlines the structural, administrative, and material issues of maintaining the monument, as well as the potential paths of development for the unit. Of particular concern to Preece is the site's remoteness and lack of material to sustain permanent occupancy. The fort is 6.5 hours away from Key West, if the uncertain weather permits. Furthermore, the radio equipment at the fort is weak, unable to reach Key West; instead, the transmitter and receiver can reach only as far as Loggerhead lighthouse, which does not repeat messages. The boat available to the fort is too small to adequately navigate the deep sea and lacks any life boats or rafts. Medical and meteorological supplies are meager and insensitive. Power is consistent and the rain water supply was found to host both mosquitoes and B. Coli. Preece begins his report with the contentions that the park has the potential to become the a top-tier National Park, that the existing conditions make for extremely hazardous habitation, and that the policy of development being decided would save or condemn the area. The report also gives seven items of minimum provisions for the occupation of the fort, without which it would unsafe to assign personnel to the island: 1. a suitable boat; 2. a 500 gallon water tank capable of filtering and chlorination; 3. a radio transmission and receiving set capable of working the Coast Guard in Miami; 4. an adequate supply of emergency medical supplies; 5. an accurate and sensitive set of meteorological instruments; 6. high powered binoculars; and 7. a generator to provide 24 hour services, to allow refrigeration. The report identifies four types of recreational interest, which the monument could potentially be developed to provide: 1. historical, 2. biological (bird and aquatic), 3. game fishing, and 4. yachting. Preece downplays the potential of historical recreational activities, instead contending that the location's natural beauty will be its main draw.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Preece, E. F.
- Date of Issue
- 1937-08
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- DRTO , SER
- Keywords
- administration, architecture, Fort Jefferson, Fort Jefferson National Monument, planning, supplies