Fort Worden to the north of Port Townsend, Fort Casey across Puget Sound on Whidby Island and Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island (about 1/2 hour southwest of Port Townsend) made up a defense area known as "The Triangle of Fire".
Now State Parks, the forts were built in the late 1800s to guard Puget Sound and Bremerton's Naval shipyards. The forts were equipped with disappearing guns. Once discharged, these guns swung back out of view of any retaliating ships. They could be quickly reloaded and swung back into place to start the whole process again.
At Fort Flagler, many of the original buildings are still in existence, including the Hospital Steward's House, the Non-Commissioned Officers Housing and Waterway House which was used as a hospital dispensary. These buildings can be rented as vacation houses and there is a hostel on site as well as a public boat launch and lots of hiking trails.
The museum at Fort Flagler has a brochure for a self guided tour and also shows a continuously running thirteen minute video detailing the history of the Fort and the surrounding area. Near the entrance to the museum is a large wheel barrow that contains bits and pieces of china, tools, shells, etc. that have been found on the site and appear to be from the early days of the Fort.
We were looking for the Marrowstone lighthouse but found only a squat structure with no light. When we asked one of the museum volunteers, she said that Fort Flagler never really had a lighthouse. Instead, a large bell was attached to a house near the water's edge and the bell was rung whenever a ship got too close to shore.
All three forts are in scenic locations overlooking Puget Sound and are a worthwhile stop for anyone interested in military history, lighthouses or those who just want a scenic location for a picnic.
Admission to the Fort Flagler Museum is by donation.