Fort Mason Center Fort Buildings Mason San Francisco 7 Royalty-Free Stock Image

Fort Mason in San Francisco has history going back to the American Civil War even though no battles took place in California during this period. It did have the gold at the time which both side did want, and although the state was supplying the Union with troops, it also had a still open harbor, which the south did need. Since most of the residents of San Francisco at this time were from other countries more than there rest of this country, their ideals were to supporting and joining the Union.Privately owned by Major General John C Fremont, the land was seized by the federal government under orders by President Lincoln as it was too valuable to the war. The fort is named for Richard Mason, military governor of California before statehood, and descendent of George Mason, one of the signers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.When the U.S. Army took control of Fort Mason in 1850 from Mexico, it was still relitivally small. But by the early 1900`s and war brewing, the military started erecting buildings to house goods and supplies. When we entered WW1, the three buildings on the pier became the point of embarkation for the troops, and all of this continued into WW2.Today, these buildings are used for arts galleries and a music school, with a few restaurants. As seen 2 November 2022.