Fort De Soto was built for the Spanish-American War. The war was over in months and the fort never saw any action. After ten years it was decommissioned, then officially abandoned and later used as a training ground during WWII before becoming county property in 1948 and a park in 1962. Not much is left of the fort except for the concrete structure of Battery Laidley.. All of the rooms in the battery, where the ammunition for the big mortars was stored, are opened to the public but most are empty. There’s a very long ADA compliant ramp to the top of the battery with a good view of the Gulf of Mexico and a set of stairs down to the beach. A walking tour with signs and a printed guide follows a trail through the fort grounds. Part of the trail is loose sand and not accessible.
The museum is a replica of the original quartermaster storehouse. It contains artifacts from different periods of the fort’s history, wall panels with the complete history of the islands, and a touch screen computer with short film clips. A ramp leads to the entrance and the inside is all accessible.
The parking lot is large enough for all RVs. Museum
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Fort Desoto reminds me alot of Fort Stevens in Oregon and Fort Columbia in Washington at the mouth of the Columbia River.
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