William Lampson Semer - Fort Zachary Taylor

William Lampson Semer, my great grandfather, grew up near the northwest corner of Van Wert County in Western Ohio. In 1902, he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to Coast Artillery Corps. He was based at four different coastal fortifications in Florida and New York during his 15 year military career.

William Lampson Semer (1882-1920)

In the decades following the British invasion of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812, the United States took measures to address coastal defense deficiencies that were exploited by the British. A total of 42 forts were built to protect susceptible shorelines and harbors.

One of these forts was Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West, Florida. William Semer was stationed at Fort Taylor from 1902 until 1908, two consecutive three-year assignments. I recently toured the fort and walked around the grounds where my great grandfather walked more than a century ago, now a part of the Florida State Park system.

On the day I visited the fort, I arrived just in time to take the guided tours offered at noon daily, time very well spent.

Construction of Fort Taylor began in 1845. The fort was constructed 1,200 feet offshore of Key West, but subsequent landfill project have since connected it with the mainland. The fort and its sister fort, Fort Jefferson 70 miles west in Dry Tortugas, were strategically important for defense of the waters around Key West, the Straits of Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico. It took 21 year to complete construction because of a lack of construction materials.  Hurricanes and diseases also delayed finishing the fort, but by 1860, it was ready for troops and cannons.

Fort Taylor was originally three stories high

Fort Taylor was occupied by Federal troops during the Civil War. The artillery unit was quartered at the Key West barracks. The fort served as a base of operations for the Union Navy's East Coast Blockade Squadron.  The squadron prevented supply ships from reaching Confederate ports.

Fort Taylor served as a coastal artillery fort during the Spanish-American War, World I, and World War II.  It was also used during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. In the years preceding William Semer's arrival, the fort had undergone modernization, including the installation of larger guns and the removal the top two of the three stories to make it less vulnerable to artillery fire.

Drills were held here in the parade grounds

Each room, or "casemate," housed one cannon

It took a crew of 6 to 8 men to fire one cannon

Some of the artillery that was used in the cannons

While stationed at Fort Zachary Taylor, William L. Semer met a local girl, Nettie Blanche Russell, a worker in one of the big cigar factories there. They were married on December 24, 1903. The couple stayed in Key West until 1908, and three children were born to them there; Florence in 1904, Hazel in 1905, and Charles in 1906.

Baptism record for Hazel Semer in the Key West Library

The Semers relocated to New York City in 1908. For the next six years, William Semer was stationed at Fort Schuyler and Fort Totten, sister forts on the banks of the East River. I'm not sure how they felt about moving from Key West to New York, but I can't imagine they were happy about it. More on this later...

For more about the Semer family of Ohio, check out my article, "Whatever happened to John H. Semer?"

While in Key West, I hopped on the three-hour ferry to check out Fort Jefferson. Click here to follow along on my trip to Dry Tortugas National Park in my backpacking blog.