a visit to Fort Taber
Today I will share a few shots from a few visits to Fort Taber Park here in New Bedford
A little bit about the park
A 50-acre waterfront park that provides over a mile of ocean frontage located on the southern peninsula of the city which projects into Buzzards Bay. The park incorporates historical landmarks, offers many amenities and various opportunities for passive and active recreation.
The centerpiece of the park is the historic Fort Taber, built between 1857 and 1871 as part of the nation’s sea coast defense system. The fort is highlighted with interpretive signage and a military museum. There is over one mile of walking, jogging or biking paths, natural areas, a beach for bathing, a pier for fishing, a playground, community boating, a youth summer day program, and picnic areas offering panoramic views. The park is handicap accessible including a newly installed Braille trail. A large multi-purpose lawn allows for cultural programming, such as military reenactments and public concerts.
Other facilities in the park include the Fort Taber Community Center, the Low Tide Yacht Club and the Fort Taber Military Museum.
Now I got this info off one of the city websites, and found it interesting they refer tot he fort that is still there as Fort Taber, now as I have mentioned before there is some differences of opinion over the nae of the old Fort, on most maps online and on many websites it is called Fort Rodman, and yet on the city website its called Fort Taber.
Doing more research online I came to the following info
The correct official name of the fort is Fort Rodman. The federal government officially named the site Fort Rodman in 1898 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel William Logan Rodman, a New Bedford native who was the highest-ranking soldier from the city killed in action during the Civil War at the Battle of Port Hudson, Louisiana.
The property was initially referred to as "the fort at Clark's Point" before this official renaming.
However, the name Fort Taber is also widely used and has historical roots. An earlier, temporary earthwork fort built during the Civil War was named Fort Taber after New Bedford Mayor Isaac C. Taber, who served from 1860 to 1862.
This name was commonly applied to the later, more substantial stone fort, even though it was never officially named Fort Taber by the federal government.
The stone fort, which was never fully completed, was often referred to locally as Fort Taber because it succeeded the original earthwork fort of that name.
Today, the site is officially known as Fort Rodman, and the military museum on the grounds is called the Fort Taber-Fort Rodman Military Museum, acknowledging both names.
The park itself is named Fort Taber Park, reflecting the popular local name.
While the official name is Fort Rodman, the name Fort Taber remains deeply ingrained in local culture and is still commonly used
and after saying all that you may wonder why I shared all that today since this post doesn't include a photo of the old fort, but when looking for something to say about the park i noticed the city naming it Fort Taber and hence waffled on
This first shot is near the entrance to the park, I took this shot as I was walking back into the park after walking out to East Beach to catch the sunrise
Sony A7iv 17mm F11 2 Sec ISO 100
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And a shot of the pier in the park
Sony A7iv 23mm F10 30 Sec ISO 100
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Another shot near the entrance the boat you may notice in the water is a big barge taking components for a wind Turbine out tot he site where they are installed
Sony A7iv 17mm F11 1/6 Sec ISO 100
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This is a spot I sometimes do light painting, took this shot after more light appeared
Sony A7iv 19mm F11 6 Sec ISO 100
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and to finish off the pier again but from the beach
Sony A7iv 17mm F5.6 15 Sec ISO 100
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