NPS staff members sink their teeth into building a yummy Fort Sumter replica. Ingredients included gingerbread, icing and other goodies

Staffers crafted the fort to include debris, damaged walls and cannonballs (NPS photo)

Another round of gloomy weather in the Atlanta area had me feeling the Christmas blues coming into this week. Then a Facebook post from Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historic Park in Charleston, S.C., came along, lifting my spirits -- and appetite.

Monday, in case you didn’t know, was National Gingerbread House Day, and the park’s staff did it up in style with a tasty recreation of the famous Civil War fort, albeit a representation of how it looked after a long siege -- including debris and embedded cannonballs.

It’s all part of December’s #GreatNPSBakeOff sponsored by the National Park Service. Staffers and those who follow parks on social media are encouraged to participate.

Fort Sumter ranger Summer Elcock provided the Picket details about the festive Fort Sumter delicacy. Her responses have been edited.

Fort Sumter, as imagined in a sweets eater's dreams (NPS photo)

Q.  What exactly is the Great National Park Service Bake Off?

A. The Great NPS Bake Off is a chance for people to show their love for the parks in a unique and fun way. During the month of December, we’re inviting anyone (regardless of baking skills) to get out a rolling pin and give it a go! Whether it’s recreating a historical landmark, such as Fort Sumter, or creating a tasty sweet inspired by nature, we look forward to seeing the outcome.

Q. Who on the Sumter/Moultrie staff came up with this idea? How long was the idea in the works?

A. Rebekah (Claussen), one of our interpretive rangers, is in a social media group for NPS and saw the upcoming campaign. She told me about it, and I came up with the idea to make a gingerbread version of Fort Sumter. 

Q. Can you tell me what the different components are made of, ie. the cannonballs, cannon, flags, etc.?

A. We decided to create what we thought the fort would have looked like in 1865 after the 18-month Union bombardment from Fort Morris (that ended in a Confederate evacuation). We used gingerbread for the walls and icing for the mortar. We then created a black icing to harden and cover little candies to create the cannonballs. Our cannons and the flag were made out of modeling clay to help them keep shape.

For the water around the fort, we pulled multiple icings together to create a color that best represents our harbor, complete with a swirling tide that we often see ourselves when out on the island.

Q. How long did it take to make?

A. It took five women across three different divisions (our historian, preservationist and our Interpretation team) plus one fun evening together to build the gingerbread fort. 

We made sugar cookies that night and realized Whoppers would be too big to represent a cannon ball. The scaling would have been way off.

Q. What will become of it?

A. It became a delicious treat for rangers coming in from the cold, and yes, it does get cold here in Charleston! 

Q. Anything else about the project?

A. We had so much fun coming together and collaborating on this piece. We’re very proud of how it turned out and can’t wait to do it again next year.

We’re already brainstorming bigger and better ideas, so definitely be on the lookout come next December.

One of the things we're making adjustments for next year is that we take more photos in the process. We were having too much fun!

Other NPS creations: Harpers Ferry, Grand Canyon, Tonto National Monument