Fort Barrancas, Military fortress at Pensacola Bay, United States.

Fort Barrancas is a fortress on Pensacola Bay in Florida that sits atop a bluff overlooking the water. Heavy brick walls enclose a central courtyard, from which corridors lead to gun emplacements and storage chambers.

The Army began building the fortress in 1839 and finished it five years later to protect the naval base and bay. Spanish and British fortifications stood here in the 18th century before the United States acquired Florida.

The name comes from the Spanish word for bluffs that once lined the shore and marked this site. Soldiers used the brick casemates as living quarters and storage, while the upper levels served as gun positions.

Fort Barrancas lies inside Naval Air Station Pensacola, so non-Department of Defense visitors may face homeland security and force protection checks at the gate. The fort now holds the Gulf Islands National Seashore visitor center, with exhibits on its history. Tours cover the restored fort and battery, and the Advanced Redoubt can also be visited.

Underground tunnels link the main structure to a water battery at the shore, allowing troops to move between positions unseen. These passages run through the bluff and open directly onto the bay.