Ghostly Sentries Still Stand Guard

Fort Zachary Taylor, named after President Zachary Taylor, is located in Key West, Florida. At the outset of the U.S. Civil War in 1861, Union Captain John Milton Brannan seized control of the fort, preventing it from falling into Confederate hands. Originally, the fort was surrounded by water on all sides, with a walkway linking it to the mainland. The fort was completed in 1866, although the upper level of one side was destroyed in 1889 to make way for more modern weapons, with the older cannons being buried within the new outer wall to save on materials. This stash of cannons would later become a significant historical find. The fort was heavily used again during the 1898 Spanish-American War and, in 1947, the fort, no longer of use to the Army, was turned over to the U.S. Navy for maintenance.

Today, in addition to the roles of the fort and its adjacent beach as tourist attractions, Fort Taylor is also the location of a number of annual events, including several-weeks-long Civil War reenactments; and on the weekend preceding Halloween, it is transformed into a haunted fort with a distinctive Civil War theme. But you don’t have to wait for Halloween to see the ghostly figures of soldiers, dressed in uniform, standing guard for all eternity.

In 1968, volunteers led by Howard S. England were searching for Civil War guns and ammunition buried in long-abandoned parts of the fort. The discovery of these guns and ammunition was not entirely by chance. During a trip to the thirteen encasements in the south curtain of the fort, Mr. England had an encounter with a ghost dressed in a civil war uniform. The ghost was dressed in blue pants and a blue coat bearing Sergeant’s stripes. The ghost asked, “What be you looking for, sonny?” Slowly and cautiously, England replied, “I’m looking for cannons.” That is when the apparition identified himself as Sergeant Wendell Gardiner and informed England that he had served at the fort and died there in 1862, and that he knew where several cannons were buried. Sergeant Gardiner suggested Mr. England start digging where he was standing, and he would find all kinds of cannons and ammunition.

After much trepidation—for Mr. England was skeptical about believing the word of a ghost—he started digging. Soon he began uncovering a number of cannons, ammunition, and even a carriage. The discovery turned out to be the nation’s largest collection of Civil War cannons. Fort Taylor was therefore placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. The manner of the amazing discovery was made public. Six weeks later, Mr. England was visited by a group of individuals from Boston, Massachusetts, who wanted to thank him personally for finding out what had happened to their long lost relative, Sergeant Wendell Gardiner. The sergeant did indeed serve at the fort, dying in 1862 of yellow fever.

Harry Schmidt, Park Services Specialist and Chief Historian at the fort, has also had a

few ghostly encounters. One evening, a group of ghost hunters was exploring the fort and Mr. Schmidt was acting as their guide, when he and his companion spotted the apparition of a soldier walking guard inside the sally port. He asked the ghost hunter if

she saw what he saw. She said, “Yes, I see it.” Mr. Schmidt asked, “Do you think I should go talk to it?” The ghost hunter replied, “Sure, why not?” Harry approached the ghostly figure and snapped a salute, saying, “Sergeant, report.” The ghost stopped and took a step forward. The guide then saluted once more and said, “Post is secure, dismissed.” The ghost then did an about face and vanished into thin air.

The next day, alone in the fortress, Mr. Schmidt heard a disembodied voice say, “Thank you.” He wasn’t sure why he was being thanked, but one possible explanation suggested by his family was that the guard was thankful to be released from over 150 years of guard duty.

Both volunteers and visitors to the fort have reported seeing soldiers in the yard at dusk during the lowering of the flag. Cold spots and battery drain have also been reported. One theory suggests that ghosts draw the energy from their surroundings in an attempt to manifest themselves. When energy is drawn from the air, the result is a cold spot and if energy is drawn from an external source, like that of a camera battery, the result is battery drain.

Hundreds of dedicated military personnel served at Fort Zachary Taylor when it was in use. Perhaps their undying sense of duty binds them to the fort even in death, occasionally trying to make their presence known to the living. Just be on guard when visiting this haunt. Who knows? A ghost may point out some long-hidden treasure or even a body or two!