Exploring the massive guns at Fort Casey State Park has become a tradition for the Byrom family.
"We have a picture of us sitting on the cannon that we hang on our Christmas tree," said Nicole Byrom. "It's part of our tradition that we look at it and we talk about it every year."
The Byroms are just a few of the 500,000 visitors who come to Fort Casey every year to see the two 115-year-old, 120,000-pound rifles that keep watch over Puget Sound.
There are only four of them left in the world.
Fort Casey was one of three pre-World War I installations, dubbed the "Triangle of Fire," designed to defend Washington from enemy attack.
The original guns were melted down during World War II.
The current weaponry was brought to Whidbey Island from a U.S. base in the Philippines 50 years ago this week when the fort was converted to a state park.
Park Ranger Jon Cummins was in 6th grade the first time he climbed the battlements. He said, as the guns celebrate their 50th anniversary, they remind us of an important piece of our history.
"To a lot of us it's a mystery. Why do we have forts on our own soil? We don't think about war on our own soil all that often but in the late 1800's they certainly did," said Cummins.
There is plenty of other history, as well.
A closer look at the Byrom family reveals Nicole and her husband Chris played at the fort as children before raising kids of their own. They even took pictures at the park the day they got engaged.
A bombshell of love and war 50 years in the making.
"It's a place that's meant to be for us," said Nicole.
A big anniversary celebration is planned at Fort Casey this weekend. For more information click here.
