The Water Island Civic Association President Chuck Nestrud and Fort Segarra Renovation Committee Chairman Doug Hoffman are proud to announce the Grand Re-Opening of Fort Segarra.
DPNR Commissioner JP Oriol will do the honors for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to commemorate this event on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 5 p.m., followed by a tour and reception, all at the fort.
The Water Island Civic Association has just completed a 12-month project to renovate Fort Segarra, the only WW2 Coastal Defense Complex that is fully open to the public. With the assistance of a Tourism Enhancement Grant from the U.S. Economic Development Agency, administered by DPNR, WICA members reopened the underground fortress, which had been sealed off and turned into a cistern for over 50 years.
Behind those walls were the shells of living quarters, defense positions, munitions storage and a complex 1940’s era data system for plotting enemy positions, calibrating, loading and firing two 12” artillery guns. Now with solar lighting, interpretive signage, improved safety, and a lot of landscaping, cleaning and painting, Fort Segarra has become a popular indoor-outdoor museum with one of the best panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea.
