Fort Howell on Hilton Head Island

• Built: 1864
• Listed: National Register of Historic Places, 2011
• Hours: dawn to dusk
• Admission: free

Fort Howell is a pentagonal earthwork, a ring of built-up earth with a surrounding moat, on Beach City Road on the north end of Hilton Head Island. Union troops built it in 1864, from late August or early September to mid-October, using shovels, spades, picks and axes. Soldiers of the 32nd United States Colored Infantry and the 144th New York Infantry did the digging under Captain Patrick McGuire of the 1st New York Engineers. It was designed as a semi-permanent fort for heavy artillery, and its job was to protect Mitchelville, the freedmen’s town just to the east. It never saw combat. It is named for Union Brigadier General Joshua B. Howell, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 2011.

What You Will See

The walls are still easy to read through the trees and the years of erosion. A bridge crosses the moat at the entrance, a kiosk and interpretive signs explain who built the fort and why, and metal figures of soldiers and others by local artist Mary Ann Ford stand about the grounds. Reviewers say it takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk the perimeter and the short trail to the center, and that it is much bigger than they expected once you walk all the way round.

Visiting Fort Howell

The fort is owned by the Hilton Head Island Land Trust, which protects it. Admission is free and the grounds are open from dawn to dusk, with parking beside the entrance. A visitor who stayed after closing time reported being locked in, so leave with time to spare before dusk. Guided tours have been run by the Land Trust with the Coastal Discovery Museum; check the Land Trust’s page for current ones. Fort Howell is on the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom for the Underground Railroad and on the Civil War Discovery Trail.

Pair it with the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, close by on Beach City Road, to see both the town and the fort that guarded it.