A single caretaker sergeant was left in charge of Fort Macon when troops left the fort after the Spanish-American War of 1898. Sarge was withdrawn in 1903, and the fort was left to the elements for the next two decades. In 1923 Fort Macon was sold to the state of North Carolina for $1, and whomever this dude is in the picture apparently did some poking around. Fort Macon State Park was officially opened in 1924.