Battery Van Swearingen at Gulf Islands National Seashore

See the Military Forts and Batteries web page for an interactive location map.

Battery Van Swearingen is clustered next to two other batteries within Gulf Islands National Seashore, Cullum and Sevier, all of which are located on the Gulf of Mexico on the southwestern end of Santa Rosa Island. Of the three, only Van Swearingen is still open to the public. There is a small roadside parking space that might hold three or four cars located directly in front of the battery. If you stopped at Battery Payne just down the street and parked in its lot, take the short walk to Van Swearingen.

The battery is named after Captain Joseph Van Swearingen, who was killed in the Second Seminole Indian War (1835-1842) at the Battle of Okee-cho-bee. The battery was originally outfitted with two 4.7-inch Armstrong rifled artillery pieces when completed in 1898. After World War I, the guns were removed due to obsolescence, and the entire battery was turned into a Range Finder Station for Batteries Payne and Trueman. It remained in use until the end of World War II.

Today visitors can walk around the outer sections of the battery, including the top level. The interior rooms are closed. Allow ten minutes for a visit to Battery Van Swearingen.