Fort Stevens Review
October 2020
Fort Stevens Review is published by the Friends of Old Fort Stevens, an Oregon 501(c)3 Organization, helping to preserve the history Of Oregon’s Fort Stevens State Park.
View the newsletter below.
Download the newsletter as a pdf here.
Shop New Arrivals!
Get a jump on the Holidays and order something from the Friends of Fort Stevens online store! We are featuring a couple new arrivals at this time as well!
There is something practical: The currently “in fashion” Fort Stevens face mask. And, as we can feel fall in the air, something to keep you warm: Our new Fort Stevens Beanie! Check these and other items out in our online store!
Select here.
The Fort Stevens Guardhouse
The Fort Stevens Guardhouse main entrance doors and several of the main floor windows have been beautifully restored.
This project was supported in part by a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
The Friends are thankful to have a partner in the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to collaborate with to achieve our shared goal of continuing to restore the Fort Stevens Guardhouse.
We would like to thank Calvin L Lewis Construction LLC (website here) and Vintage Window Restoration LLC (website here) for their efforts in completing this project.
Columbia Shore Disc Golf Course
The Fort Stevens Historic Area is now home to the Columbia Shore Disc Golf Course, an 18 hole course.
The course was designed to respectfully showcase interesting features at the historic fort while bringing in new visitors who might not have otherwise visited.
In the near future, the Friends plan on adding interpretive signs along the course to educate players about what they are seeing as they enjoy their game.
The Fort Stevens park rangers did an excellent job of creating a course that is fun for all skill levels!
The Oozlefinch is flying again at Fort Stevens!
The Friends are now selling Discraft discs with the Fort Stevens Oozlefinch logo. The Oozlefinch was the mascot of the Coast Artillery Corp and has received a warm welcome back to the fort. Select here to visit our online store to order yours!
Battery 245 is now open
Battery 245 is now open to the public with new displays constructed by our volunteers to illustrate what the battery would have looked like when it was active during WWII.
Visitors will see a plotting board that is approximately 11 feet long with a communication section in the background where soldiers were able to connect with both sides of the river. Another newly constructed display is the 5-cylinder diesel engine that was used to operate a generator for backup power. Originally Battery 245 had three of these engines. The interpretation of Battery 245 is an ongoing project, and the Friends look forward to providing more displays in the near future. Thank you to our volunteers for their impressive work on this project!
Oozlefinch, the mysterious mascot
The mysterious mascot of the Coast Artillery Corps has flown backwards into the Fort Stevens Store.
This 6” tall Oozlefinch is being sold exclusively online for a limited time for $25.00. Visit the FOOFS website at visitfortstevens.com to purchase this quality Oozlefinch via PayPal or call the museum store to place an order with your credit card at 503-861-2000.
Purchase HereProceeds support the mission of the Friends of Old Fort Stevens to preserve, improve, restore, interpret, and promote historic Fort Stevens and its environment in cooperation with Oregon State Parks. THE OOZLEFINCH will only be available On Line through December, 2019
Fort Stevens Review
Fort Stevens Review is published by the Friends of Old Fort Stevens, an Oregon 501(c)3 Organization, helping to preserve the history Of Oregon’s Fort Stevens State Park.
Excerpt from this newsletter:
The Long Road From Cast Iron Coast Defense Guns To Ones Of Forged Steel And The Impact On The Harbor Defenses of The Columbia
By D. Lindstrom
As the United States fought the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy, as did many other nations, defended their harbors and coastlines with cannons made of cast iron. Furthermore, early on the Civil War demonstrated that fortifications made of masonry were history, as enemy cannon balls quickly demolished them. The new technology was to construct earthen parapets behind which cannons were installed. The hope was that most of the enemy’s incoming cannon ball shots would simply bury themselves in the dirt. Regardless of more reliance on earthen parapets to protect cannons and cannoneers from the enemy, there was mortal danger lurking inside the surrounding parapet. Once in a while a cast Iron cannon had a defect causing it to burst on detonation, wounding and killing the cannoneers..
Fun at the Fort – Labor Day Weekend
Celebrate Labor Day weekend at Fort Stevens State Park!
Experience history on a free guided truck or battery tour. Play disc golf at the park’s brand-new course and win prizes, plus crafts and JR Beaver appearances for the kids. Special this year: check out the fort’s newly restored gun battery!
• Play disc golf + win prizes
• Guided tours of the historic fort
• Free event parking all weekend
• Hot Dog BBQ lunch $1.00
• Crafts for the kids
• Meet JR Beaver
Latest News
