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Fort Barrancas was the last incarnation of a series of forts built on the same site in the Wilmington-area of Pensacola. The English built the first fort in 1763. That was captured by the Spanish during the American Revolution, who renamed it San Carlos de Barrancas (which was re-built in 1797 and again in 1817). The word barrancas means "bluff" in Spanish. From 1839-1844, the United States built the current Fort Barrancas on the same site (including some of the original fort still standing). The fort was utilized during the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and the Second World War. In 1966, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and became part of the National Park Service's Gulf Islands National Seashore. And in 1980, it was restored and was opened to the public as a National Landmark.