Fort Macon is a fascinating Civil War site, as we found out on Wednesday.We were able to spend a couple of hours exploring the fort and the surrounding area before succumbing to the chilly day and noontime hunger.  The site is one of the most interesting Civil War monuments we’ve visited (not that we’ve visited many), and is very well maintained.  It was especially interesting to read the posted explanations of the events leading to the capture of the fort by Union forces, as they are written from a subtly southern point of view.  Here are some pictures of our visit:

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The Naves' Winter Vacation to the Outer Banks

[img title="Big Guns" alt="Fortunately, that thing isn't in active service." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3909.jpg"][img title="Uh, What?" alt="This was quite a foreboding warning." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3918.jpg"][img title="Uh, What Again?" alt="This was even more foreboding than the other warning." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3919.jpg"][img title="Short, but Powerful" alt="These cannons may be small, but they packed a serious punch when in active service." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3923.jpg"][img title="Behind Bars" alt="That food must be very stale by now..." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3924.jpg"][img title="Hot Shot" alt="I finally know what a hot shot really is." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3927.jpg"][img title="Amazing Civil War Tech" alt="Who knew that Civil War soldiers could invent such a modern looking transportation device?" src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3928.jpg"][img title="Not an Illusion" alt="Many adjacent rooms in the fort are connected by small-ish arched doorways." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3931.jpg"][img title="A View from Inside" alt="The boys are inside of what appeared to be a storeroom, only accessible by a hobbit-sized door." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3932.jpg"][img title="Falling Water" alt="We heard water apparently falling into a pool somewhere inside a pitch-black room in the outer walls of the fort. This picture wouldn't have been possible without a good camera flash." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3938.jpg"][img title="Dungeon Spelunking" alt="Well, these rooms in the outer wall of the fort may not actually have been dungeon cells, but they sure looked like it." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3939.jpg"][img title="More Civil War Tech" alt="Those Civil War engineers never cease to amaze." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3942.jpg"][img title="Aftermath" alt="Apparently, Gabriel got pretty worked up after visiting a Civil War fort, and decided to put on his own re-enactment. Fortunately, Dominic's sunglasses were the only casualty." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3944.jpg"][img title="Across the Sea" alt="The fort is on the end of Emerald Isle, east of Atlantic Beach, so we were able to see across the inlet to Shackleford Island, which we visited on Tuesday." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3946.jpg"][img title="Heavenly" alt="We returned to the house under a cloudy sky punctuated with bright rays of sun streaming into the ocean." src="http://www.thenaves.org/wp-content/flagallery/obx_20110209/thumbs/thumbs_100_3948.jpg"]