Fort Worden

Fort Worden, on 433 acres at the northeastern tip of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, was built beginning in 1897 to help defend Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound as part of the “Triangle of Fire” with Fort Flagler and Fort Casey. Named for Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden, it became operational in the early 1900s and at its peak mounted 41 guns to deter hostile warships from reaching key inland targets. Though it never fired on an enemy, it remained important through both world wars as a training, command, and surveillance center before closing in 1953. Later preserved as Fort Worden State Park, it is valued for its intact military landscape and layered history.

Port Townsend, Washington · United States