Battery Townsley in
Marin headlands, photo circa 1940, courtesy
National Park Service
Written by
The Associated Press
GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Calif. (AP) -- An historic World War II-era gun battery that once guarded San Francisco Bay from invasion has been restored as an exhibit showcasing the region's military past.
The U.S. Army built Battery Townsley into a Marin County hillside more than 70 years ago. The series of underground tunnels and concrete gun emplacements housed weapons that could lob 2-ton shells 25 miles.
The Army left Marin in the 1980s. Teenagers began using the crumbling site as an underground party spot.
More than a dozen National Park Service volunteers worked to shore up the structure and paint over graffiti. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the group last month won a major park service award for volunteer service.
The battery is open the first Sunday of each month from noon to 4 p.m.
The Associated Press