But members of the Eisenberg family still own Fort Carroll, a 3.45-acre island that lies southeast of the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge, and they still have hopes for it.

He notes that Fort Carroll was built on the same plan — and by some of the same workmen — as Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C., where the Civil War began.

Fort Carroll, named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, has been in limbo since construction began in 1848 on the military post.

Near the Key Bridge, Fort Carroll is a fascinating piece of Baltimore history. Now abandoned, the manmade island that was constructed in 1848 has some eye-catching architecture and a lighthouse.

Afterwards, the spat-on-shell bound for Fort Carroll are moved to submerged cages around the Baltimore Harbor, where they are minded by volunteer “oyster gardeners” for their first year of life.

Baby oysters will return to Fort Carroll Reef after last year's collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge blocked organizers from planting a new batch. Hundreds of thousands of baby oysters will ...