Long nagged by memories of the British invasion of 1814 (the only successful attack on our nation’s capital before 9/11/01) advocates for “homeland security” in the 1860s and 70s turned to massive guns to protect the three American coasts. One of the first Pacific installations came at the mouth of the Columbia River; within a generation, Puget Sound had its own defenses. Now quaint state parks, these artifacts of a past obsession with “Never again!” raise questions about threats both imagined and real, and responses both psychological and tangible. The tale of these silent sentinels reveals America’s changing engagement with the world and its reliance on new technologies to “guarantee” security. RSVP: 206.297.0875.
Those Mysterious Seacoast Forts
Fri, December 6
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Free
Greenwood Senior Center
525 N. 85th St., Seattle, WA, 98103, United States