Field Trip to the Presidio, Fort Point, and the Palace of Fine Arts (November 6, 1969)
About This Item
Children from the Frederic Burk School gather inside the arched brick casemates of Fort Point, clustered around a large artillery cannon mounted on a wheeled field carriage. Wearing a hard hat, a guide gestures along the length of the cannon, explaining its function and historical role as the students look on with curiosity. The image captures a moment of hands-on learning within the dramatic military architecture of the fort, illustrating how historic sites served as immersive classrooms during school field trips in the late 1960s.
- Identifier
- TP-ATA-0837
- Date
- 11-6-1969
- Context
Type: Civil War–era field piece on a wooden carriage. Fort Point’s casemates today display “cannons from multiple eras,” including Civil War artillery. National Park Service
Most likely model: A 3-inch Ordnance Rifle (Model 1861)—its long, slender iron tube and lack of a Parrott-style breech band match what’s in your photos. This gun was widely used by U.S. field artillery from 1861–1865 and after, for training and displays. Wikipedia
Context at Fort Point: The fort interpreted/featured Civil War field artillery for visitors; they also run loading demos with a Napoleon 12-pounder outside the entrance, so both the 3-inch Rifle and the Napoleon are the two field guns you’re most likely seeing there. Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy National Park Service
Credits:
Some technical descriptions and historical interpretations were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.
- Geographic Coverage
- San Francisco, CA
- Type
- Still Image
- Source
- San Francisco State University Archives
- Rights
- Public
- Views
- 458