Fort Sumter is a masonry sea fort located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.
Fort Sumter also played key roles in the Revolutionary War against the British and was Charleston’s main defense from seaside attacks. In 1966, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can visit the fort by taking the ferry operated by Fort Sumter Tours – look under attractions. Tours depart from the Aquarium Wharf downtown or at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant