In 1826 the need to upgrade our nations coastal defense became a priority and many installations were constructed including Fort Macon. The fort's purpose was to protect from foriegn invasion so canons lined the outer perimeter of the fort facing all waterways. The fort is now a state park.
This view is atop the Northwest corner of the Covertway, facing southeast towards the ocean and Bogue Bay.
A shot from atop the Covertway. Maps call the area between the Covertway and Main Fort the Ditch and Moat. It does not appear that much water was ever allowed in this area based on the elevation of the door (near the ramp). Maybe 2 to 3 feet.
An interior shot of the parade ground. Everything you see in the fort is either original or a working replica built to exact specifications of the original.
It's hard to imagine standing atop the fort looking at the bay that those canon's could come close anything let alone hit it. I'm guessing those boats are well over half a mile away. But the canon's are reported to be accurate up to 1.5 miles.
One of my favorite things about this fort is it hasn't been dumbed down for safety sake. Walls stand just as they did 200 years ago with no handrails or fence. I'm not afraid of heights, but I was walking carefully near these edges.
