Fort Sumter

	Fort Sumter
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district
	IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
	Fort Sumter Fort Sumter (South Carolina)
Location	Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina
Coordinates	32°45′8″N 79°52′29″W / 32.75222°N 79.87472°W
Area	234.74 acres (95.00 ha)
Built	1829
Visitation	857,883
Website	Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
NRHP reference No.	66000101
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated HD	April 28, 1948

Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island near Charleston, South Carolina to defend the region from a naval invasion. It was built after British forces captured and occupied Washington during the War of 1812 via a naval attack. The fort was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle of Fort Sumter occurred, sparking the American Civil War. It was severely damaged during the battle and left in ruins. Although there were some efforts at reconstruction after the war, the fort as conceived was never completed. Since the middle of the 20th century, Fort Sumter has been open to the public as part of the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, operated by the National Park Service.

^ Cite error: The named reference nris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved May 14, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)