Field Trip to the Presidio, Fort Point, and the Palace of Fine Arts (November 6, 1969)
About This Item
Children and teachers from the Frederic Burk School gather inside the arched stone casemates of Fort Point, surrounding a large artillery cannon mounted on a wheeled field carriage. Wearing a hard hat, a guide addresses the group, explaining the cannon’s purpose and historical context as students listen closely. The vaulted masonry, massive wooden wheels, and iron fittings emphasize the scale of nineteenth-century coastal defenses, while the attentive group reflects the hands-on, experiential approach to learning that characterized school field trips of the era.
- Identifier
- TP-ATA-0838
- 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
- Temporal Coverage
- 1960s
- Type
- Still Image
- Source
- San Francisco State University Archives
- Rights
- Public
- Views
- 478