Fort Point Channel and Fort Warren

Fort Point Channel

Hey! It's your friendly neighborhood JPA, Jasmine, here to talk about the amazing first week spent at the Fort Point Channel in the Seaport district. I got to spend the week with a pretty cool group of SHSB staff and from the looks of it we are going to have an amazingly fun and productive summer. We had the chance to get to know each other better, use underwater drones, and make an amazing video about Fort Point. However, while at first glance the Fort Point Channel and it's surroundings are beautiful, we quickly saw the flaws of this beautiful place when we made our way onto the docks below where we realized that not everything was pitch perfect in the channel. We noticed bottles and plastic zip lock bags floating in the water. We had the chance to come across two men in a small boat who were going around the channel collecting as much trash as they could reach and find. They are not the only ones there to help the Harbor, I recall last year with SHSB where we also did something similar. Last year we had the chance to ride on Kayaks with our plastic bags and nets trying to collect trash from the channel as well. we are not the only ones, there are many organizations and people who are trying to keep the harbor clean for this generation and future generations to continue enjoying. Will you be one of those people?

The Legend of the Lady in Black

Fort Warren, 1861

You ever wonder if ghosts really exist? Well soldiers who were once stationed on fort warren on George's island seemed to strongly believe in apparitions. According to legend it is said that in many Court Martialed cases, soldiers claimed to have seen a woman dressed in black who would walk among the beaches and around the fort. She became known as the The Lady in Black... but who was she? In life she was known Mrs. Andrew Lanier, the wife of a confederate soldier being held prisoner at Fort Warren. It is said that Mr. Lanier wrote and sent Mrs. Lanier a letter informing her of his capture. This news did not sit well with Mrs. Lanier and she decided to rescue her husband from this prison. She cut her hair and dressed up as a man (this gives me some serious Mulan vibes), and she then grabbed a gun and pickaxe. She then took a boat and made her way from Hull to George's Island. She made her way off the beach and slid through one of the small slits in the stone walls of the fort then made her way into the cell where her husband and other confederate soldiers were being held. The soldiers then hid Mrs. Lanier and for a few weeks used the pickaxe to dig a hole to the center of the fort in hopes to gain the bigger hand over the guards and escape. However when they were just about to make the last hit to their destination, the hit made a noise so loud that the guards overheard and immediately came to see what the problem was. They brought all the men out of the tunnel and out last came Mrs. Lanier with the pistol. Sadly Mrs. Lanier heroic action didn't go so far because the guard quickly knocked the pistol from her hand. Upon hitting the floor the pistol went off and shot one of the prisoners and killed him. Of course the man shot was none other than Mr. Lanier himself.Mrs. Lanier was then caught and taken to be punished for her actions, her punishment would be death by hanging. Her last request was to be buried in women's clothing, the men could only find some black robes fit for a woman. Ever since her death there have been instances where soldiers claimed to have seen a figure in all black who would not answer their calls and it is said that others heard her speak to them. 
It's very interesting what you can learn about this harbor, its islands, and it's history. This is only one of the many things you can learn about the islands. But it doesn't stop there you can learn about clean-ups, activities, and history.

Sea you next time,
Jasmine